A couple of weeks ago, I went with a friend to watch William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth in the open air at Dartington, near Totnes, Devon, UK, where I live. We, the audience, were cast into the 16th century Elizabethan period and the dramatic story of Scottish war hero Macbeth , who, with his scheming, power hungry wife, murdered the kindly King of Scotland. The play reminds us:
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s
In deepest consequence.
I had a lapse in mindfulness. Before the play, I forgot to turn off my mobile phone. I use it sparingly. Only about 15 – 20 people have the number. My mobile phone suddenly rang in the middle of the play. I fumbled quickly in my pocket to switch it off. I was suddenly cast back into the current Elizabethan period of June, 2011. Sadly, the audience were also brought back to the present, as well as the actors. Oops. Ah, the mobile phone – an instrument of darkness with honest trifles.
Mindfulness matters, especially in these times. The practice of mindfulness gives us much support. We live in a world of information and entertainment technology – television, radio, DAB, CDs, MP3 players, desktop computers, laptop computers, internet, Facebook, You Tube, mobile phone, smart phone, I-pad, Twitter, blog, You Tube, kindle and so on.
We can spend literally hours and hours everyday moving between these forms of communication and thus losing depth of communication with loved ones, friends and ourselves. Our world can become a series of rather superficial contacts, light peripheral with consciousness constantly occupied with information or light pleasant sensations. These gadgets are not an inherent problem. They genuinely have a practical benefit. If there is excessive and compulsive use, then we become slaves to these sources of information and entertainment rather than making them our servants.
One woman told me: “My husband’s computer became the ‘other woman’ at home. We barely communicated. He spent far more time with his hands on his beloved perched on his desk. I gave up. We are now divorced.”
I find I can engage in the writing of an article on my computer, and then an impulse comes to check my emails or go on the Internet to check out something totally unrelated to the article. If I often follow through every time on the impulse, it becomes a habit. If I follow through every time the impulse arises then it is an addiction to emails, Facebook, You Tube or whatever. Mindfulness with clear comprehension stops the impulse before it gets going so that we have a clear choice whether we really wish to make a change from what we give attention to or to stay focussed on the present task rather than become distracted.
I believe the issue is time. How much time in the space of a day do we spend on these gadgets – at home, at work, in the coffee shop or travelling between destinations? What are we missing if we know we lose ourselves in gadgets?
Mindfulness includes listening to the depth within – silence, the sense of real presence, times of stillness and calm, undistracted abiding contribute to connecting with the depth within that can spark the burst of creativity, insights, realisations and a fresh vision.
Let us be mindful of the influence of technology on your consciousness. It is a precious experience to abide as a conscious human knowing there is a tremendous potential to know a fulfilled life.
Let us not settle for communication at a distance with others but share one to one with full attention to the person in front – uninterrupted by a phone call or text.
Can’t we agree to turn our mobile phones off when sharing a soya latte with a friend in a coffee shop as an act of love and respect for each other?
Love shows itself as giving another our full attention. Let us make a deep inner journey together. Uninterruptedly.