FOCUS

In this age of technology and the need to be tethered to our devices, there is great potential for one to lose focus. Focus on the present moment, attention to the people physically in front of us, the concentration of thoughts on one specific task. Technology has shifted our view of what is important.

The "ding" of an email, a text, a voicemail. It awakens the urgency in us to run and see who wrote or called. I remember long ago, before the age of the portable phone, walking into my apartment and seeing the flashing red light of the answering machine letting me know someone called. I recall the freedom of leaving my home and driving to the store without the chains of technology as we have now. Freedom to converse with the person in front of us in line at the store instead of having our eyes fixated on a screen.

The convenience of having it all at your fingertips is anything but convenient. We have become shackled to the inanimate objects that now rule our lives. This growing trend of the loss of focus shows no signs of subsiding anytime soon.

When you walk into a restaurant, rarely do you find the people at the table talking with each other. Rather, all heads are bowed. Not in prayer, but in reverence to the screen. The glowing screen which has taken over even our bedrooms as we tuck our devices under our pillows ready to be checked upon awakening.

There is nothing more offensive than someone choosing to check email, answer a phone call, or respond to a text whilst in company of others. If we have set aside a special time to meet, it is courteous to focus on the time together. The only exception being an emergency phone call. We are not doing any good letting our children and loved ones know they are less important to us than a device. It is time we untether and adjust our focus to what is truly important.