לשנה טובה

I don’t consider myself a religious person, but I like to take the opportunity of a new year to step back, take stock, think about how I’m living my life. And as with the new year that falls in January, I have a tendency to make resolutions, most of which don't last very long. So here’s what I’m thinking about on this first day of 5771.

I’ve read several articles recently about studies that have shown that our 21st Century compunction to be connected, available, in contact with everyone all the time may actually have a detrimental effect on our cognitive abilities. It seems to be related not just to the shortening attention spans that we’ve been hearing about since the dawn of time, but to the need for our minds to have some down time. If every time we have thirty free seconds, we’re checking email or playing games, or… or whatever it is that we’re doing, then our brains don’t have the time to process all the information that’s been coming in. Or something like that.

And I’m pretty sure I’m very near the top of the constantly connected curve. I wake up each morning to NPR, and immediately check my email on my iPhone. As I drink my morning coffee, I continue listening to the radio while I read email, check Facebook, surf the net. I make sure to download the New York Times to the phone so that I’ll have something to read on the subway, and then it’s off to work. The only time I’m awake and completely free of electronic communication on most days is while I’m swimming—perhaps another way in which those 90 minutes a few times a week keep me from insanity.

I’m not sure if my connectedness is really hurting my ability to reason: it’s very hard do a control experiment on such a question, and I can’t be bothered to try. But I do know that when I make the time to meditate for 20 minutes, I feel more grounded and able to face the world. And I remember how great I felt after a yoga retreat a year ago, when I was mostly off the grid for four or five days—and how much I loved the silent mornings in particular.

So my main goal for 5771 is to be more present by being just a little bit less present. I will occasionally turn off my phone for a while. Maybe I’ll even work my way up to leaving the apartment without it. I will occasionally be at home without the radio or TV keeping me company. Please be patient with me if it takes a little longer to get a reply to your next text message.