Be Here Now
Yesterday I attended an engineering conference in Santa Clara, California called MemCon. One of the speakers was from the Consumer Electronics Association. During his talk he described all the electronic gadgets he carries with him everywhere. These included multiple cell phones, computers, MP3 players, GPS navigation devices, battery charges, and believe it or not, even more. He also mentioned the licenses expired on all the rented music he had on one of his iPods in the middle of his flight from DC to San Francisco, tragically turning the device into a rock for the rest of the flight and forcing him to seek other amusement.
This got me thinking about the need some people have to be either connected or entertained. While I fully understand the utility people engaged in certain occupations find in things like cell phones and laptop computers, I see many other examples of people who seem to be addicted to distraction. The speaker said, “You can never be too entertained”. I disagree.
Everywhere I go, I see people listening to their iPods, talking on their cell phones, playing their hand held game consoles. All these people have one thing in common, they are disconnected from their surroundings. They may appear to be walking, jogging, or even driving, but their minds are somewhere else. They are nearly oblivious to what is going on all around them (even the drivers).
Back in 1971, Baba Ram Das, aka Dr. Richard Alpert, published a book titled “Be Here Now”. One of the things I took away from reading that book 35 years ago is the need to experience where I am, here and now. Anyone who needs to be entertained all the time must be trying to avoid listening to their own thoughts.
It is fine to be “connected” to the rest of the world, but not if it comes at the expense of becoming disconnected from yourself. Next time you are out walking or jogging, take off the earbuds, turn off the cell phone or crackberry and look around. Listen to the sounds. Smell the whats in the air. Listen to your own thoughts. It could be a whole new experience.