Who, when, where, why

I’ve really started to notice the trouble we as a society are having with commitment. And I don’t mean relationship commitment, though that’s a part of it. I mean commitment to our lives. We’ve got millions of distractions that we run through in overlapping cycles. Multi-tasking our days away. Going to the movies and texting all the way through. Driving and talking on the phone. Watching TV and playing on the internet. Moving in with somebody but having 2 or 3 people on the side. Talking to a friend at a bar, but having the baseball game grab your attention over their shoulder (guilty). Rarely paying full attention to who we are, when we are, where we are and why we are.

We’re so used to keeping so many balls in the air, it feels strange just to be doing one thing. Try this. When was the last time you sat down to just listen to music? Not listen to music while you’re driving. Not while you’re reading a book, or knitting, or doing the dishes. I can’t think of when I did that. Probably the last time I went to the symphony. I love music. But to actually sit down and just concentrate on the music without anything else going on? Really concentrate on it? It just doesn’t happen much any more.

Because I’m as guilty as everybody else. Feeling like I have to do several things at once to get it all done. But on some things, I’m not sure how well I’m doing it, experiencing it. That who, when, where and why all play in at different levels. When is pretty easy. Where is a little harder because you have to open up all your senses and take in all the sights, smells and sounds. Why is a lot tougher. Am I doing this because I enjoy it? Will it make me a better person? Is it just something I have to do? And who’s the big daddy of all questions. Integrating everything you are, it makes those other questions easier. I’m here for this reason, feeling these things, in this very moment.

Hard to do if your cell phone is ringing.

You can’t do that stuff all the time. Well, maybe you can if you’re a hermit. But most of us have a world of choices of and there’s really nothing to stop you from choosing to do several of them at the same time. In fact, you’re encouraged to spin 5 plates at once. And maybe this is why I like going to the theater so much. It’s a socially sanctioned time to sit down, shut off the phone and just do this one thing. Or at least most people try to just enjoy the show. Overlapping is even creeping in there.

But I think I need to start focusing on just doing one thing more often. Shut off the all the distractions. Commit to the moment. Be fully there. At least for the important things.