One of the biggest mental challenges of the twenty-first century is the constant battle between distraction and concentration. There is an inherent tendency to keep up with what is happening outside of our body, which goes back many centuries when we lived in a far more dangerous world. We were trained very early on to pay attention and be on the watch for danger coming at us because of the way we lived on this planet, exposed to elements and predators (including our own species). That style of training and conditioning our offspring was passed on from one generation to the other to keep us safer in a dangerous world. What became the primary catalyst for survival on this planet for many millenniums has now become one of the leading causes of distraction in modern life. The pace of life on this planet was much slower, and we were far more grounded due to being intertwined with the natural world surrounding us. There was no electricity to keep our brains engaged after dark, and life was very busy gathering the basic needs for survival during the day. Distractions were essential for survival, and concentration/solitude time was plenty after the day's work was done.

Nowadays, we can pretty much gather ALL our needs by visiting a couple of websites and pushing a few buttons online. There are really no imminent dangers to speak of as a part of our daily routines. Some of us like to think that we are facing constant challenges in a dangerous world, but the reality does not support that. The Canadian evolutionary psychologist Sten Pinker's book, The Better Angles of Our Nature examines how life is many times safer and far easier on the global scale in the twenty-first century. He uses statistics to support his hypothesis by taking a deep dive into global data and comparing many variables, from violent crimes to famine. The point is that we are living much easier and safer lives compared to just a few decades ago, but our perception is different, and our mental health statistics do not amplify that. In a way, it is like the phrase: be careful what you wish for! Having access to running water inside (at any temperature, let alone hot water) was indeed a dream for 99% of humans on this planet until about a hundred years ago. Fighting predators and breaking your back while working on the farm just to be able to feed yourself and your family were normal daily activities until the beginning of the 20th Century. Now, the entire catalog of goods is available and attainable with a smartphone.

I believe one of the main reasons for the global restlessness of the human psyche is the advent of modern technology. It sounds like an oxymoron and counterintuitive, but it's true. We thought how wonderful our lives would become if we didn't have to make daily trips to the nearby creek to gather water for cooking and cleaning. But we didn't foresee the biological fact that our bodies and minds function better when we incorporate physical activities into our daily routines. We created digital calculators and computers, thinking about how much faster we can make calculations and come up with conclusions without considering that our minds need to be exercised to stay sharp.

The virtue of activities that cause tranquility has been almost completely wiped out of how we have conditioned our offspring in the last couple of decades. How can parents demonstrate inner tranquility as role models for their children when they are battling with anxiety themselves? Because of centuries of deprivation over the last few thousand years, we have been overindulging ourselves in the last few decades on all fronts. We are taller, stronger, more intelligent, but also fatter and far less patient! Humans dreamed about flying in the sky for many millennia and now complain about the slow WiFi connection when flying first class. I need to make a disclaimer and say that I am making these observations without immunity for myself!

I would like to invite everyone (including myself) to be more patient, present, and grounded. It is so easy to lose ourselves in the fast-moving cyclone of modernity and groundbreaking new technology. Thus, more than ever, we need to take time off our devices and pay closer attention to our inner selves. Our archetype has been rapidly transforming over the past few decades. Our collective consciousness is scattered, and our global sense of identity as a species that needs to live in harmony with this planet has been forgotten. We need to find the scattered pieces of ourselves and re-member our dis-membered psyche. I would like to invite us all to embrace the value of being alone and enjoying that. We can practice mindfulness in everything we do by being grounded, grateful, and at peace with ourselves. The key is not to try to find time to meditate; it is to meditate in order to find ourselves in time!

Be well,
Siamak