It is, in fact, the very now-ness of today that makes it all the more difficult to actually live in the now. The immediacy of the available cripples the mindfulness that enables being in the moment. We are robbed of our attention span. Can’t even cuddle on the couch at the end of a busy day watching television without the occasional glance at that screen (tucked into the couch cushion for easy access, even when you know there aren’t any “emergencies”). It is increasingly difficult to concentrate on anything for more than 10 minutes before an interruption, a glance away, an urgent call. As challenging as this can make our progress at work, the real loss is the impact on our family. A solid hour of undisturbed time with the kids in today’s world seems like a luxury.
And then there’s our intense desire to photograph and video record every moment. Are we missing out on our daughters’ magical smile and our sons’ adorable winks because we’re too busy trying to take a picture? Post a video? WhatsApp it to the family. Instagram it for the relatives. Scroll down to see how many likes and comments the last post got. Now check that e-mail and the moment is gone. Electronically capturing our lives may be disabling our ability to capture that very life!