Sign seen in Toronto
This was the subject of a conference I attended a few weeks ago at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.
It was hosted by the Merton Institute, as in Thomas Merton, contemplative monk, and author of the bestselling memoir, The Seven Storey Mountain
I often feel as if I straddle two worlds, between those of my generation, many of whom are suspicious of or do not fully understand current technology, and my work online, where I am exposed to many from the millennial generation (born after 1982), sometimes called “digital natives.”
Note: When I speak of technology, I’m referring to the Internet (and all of our gadgets). The whole spectrum of technology includes more than that.
According to Daniel P. Horan, the only presenter from this millennial generation at the conference,
Digital natives lives most of their lives online, are good at multi-tasking, and don’t distinguish between their online and offline lives. To them, technology is as natural as breathing and is the primary mediator of human to human connection.
Many of the older presenters felt (and had statistics to back it up) that the use of technology left little room for contemplation and that millennials had a reduced capacity for what they called “deep reading.” There were a handful of students at the conference, and one in particular, who strongly refuted this claim. I agree with him. I know many young people who are extremely thoughtful and well read. Their actions in the world come from an inspired place, a contemplative place. Some examples (these might not be millennials but they are a lot younger than I am):
Chris Guillebeau (and those who attended his World Domination Summit) are living unconventional lives. Chris intersperses his online activity with traveling around the world, which I’m speculating allows time for contemplation.
Tara Sophia Mohr teaches wise living and leadership development for women. She practices what she preaches. For her, poetry and writing are ways she taps into her innermost self, and inspired action comes from that place.
I know people of all ages that either let technology run their lives or completely shun it. The two above (and many others) are learning how to use it wisely, tapping into their own unique gifts, and sharing those gifts with the world through technology and other means.
How do you build contemplation into this technological world? Can you?
Related Reading
The Web Shatters Focus, Rewires Brains by Nicholas Carr on Wired
The Tao of Authentic Marketing for Creatives by Jeffrey Davis on Tracking Wonder
Learn more about Thomas Merton
Hiya,
Wow thanks for posting!Got to love Merton, right? Well as a child of the millennium (full disclosure my older sister was born in 1982) this presents an interesting binary; however, I would argue that 1982 benchmark is a little simplistic. I do remember a time before cell phones and the internet (thanks very much :)) and I am a horrible multitask-er who works hard to separate her facebook life from her real life or really just being cognizant of the presence of the internet is making or breaking reputations. With that said, I do appreciate the concern that multi-tasking vis a vis technology can prevent truly deep readings of the texts around us. And I agree that it is that deep that leads to serious contemplation. For me that means learning when and where to “turn off” . I don’t need to check my e-mails as frequently on the weekends. I don’t need to watch tv shows that I don’t enjoy. I think it is the selective and deliberate participation in technology that allows people not to feel overwhelmed by it.
Hi Emily, thanks for commenting. I think you are right in that the early 80’s millennials might not be true digital natives. And your last line really gets to the crux of it – “selective and deliberate participation in technology.”