Whether its food, drink, drug, sex, or even the constant flooding of media. We have all fallen into the pit of consumption set forth by our culture. When was the last time you did nothing? Seriously. When was the last time you just sat and breathed. No screen in your face, no greasy food to shovel down, no drink in hand, or even music playing?
I'm ashamed to say I've found myself in a constant state of distraction. Whether I'm going to eat, I'm listening to a podcast or Spotify, playing a video game, or even reading a book (which I consider to be productive to a certain degree). It's always something. I've written on this topic of spending time in silence before and I suspect I will again before my life ends. It is something I fail at day after day. If we are not diligent then the constant streams will easily sweep us away. We desperately divvy out every free moment of valuable time to think, reflect, and pray. We have spread ourselves so thin that we've become afraid of those moments of true silence. It's as though the quiet times are too loud to bare. We become aware of sincere thoughts and feelings. We grow anxious or begin to question that which we take for granted.
Can't have any of that. We must block out the drone of pesky consciousness. So we go down to the dark pit of consumption to binge on whatever it has to offer. And when it's empty we begin crawling the walls like a fiend without his dope.
Snap out of the haze for a even a brief time. We have all had that moment driving down the highway when we realize we've been zoned out for a good mile or two. You can have that moment in your life today. If you are mindlessly coasting along then perhaps the external world is steering you more than you would like to admit. Are the things you spend your time doing benefiting you or have they become bonds that you have placed on yourself?
-Richard Childers