Attention, Addiction, and Technology

Recently, I've noticed the growing popularity of the mindfulness movement. Mindful gardening, mindful eating (I've written on that subject myself), mindful driving (the bumper stickers are everywhere) and even mindful loving--the subject seems to be all the rage, and I have to say, I find it ridiculous. Making mindfulness a goal makes just about as much sense as worshipping a screwdriver in an art gallery.

Mindfulness, like that screwdriver, is a tool. Indeed, it is a good and useful tool, and one that is very helpful--if not absolutely necessary--to raise consciousness and develop wisdom. Mindfulness is to the mind as a screwdriver is to a screw. In both cases, the tool enables turning and deepening. Beyond the limits of that metaphor, the screw serves the purpose of affixing or binding something, of making a repair or helping to build something new. Similarly, the mind can help us repair ourselves and create positive change in the world.

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