Thanks for sharing this. And yes, capitalism is sneaky! When I hear terms like "mind share" and "attention economy" I recall 40+ years ago our critique of capitalism was that it would subsume everything - including our thoughts. Whelp, here it is. Damn. Illich wrote about this in the 60s.
I particularly love reading the part from awaiting birth onward because what surfaces is the beauty that interrupts the beauty of silence. The only hope of what we call silence is away from technology because technology is about stimulation, splashes and ripples in our timelines. That’s why the addiction sustains. I love listening to music but there are a lot of times I don’t because, as a writer and an enthusiast for quality spiritual attention, I need to hear both what’s in my head and what’s outside my head that has no interest in what’s inside my head. That interface is where my writing arises. [By the way, I’m a fan of John Cage’s essay on Silence, as well as his composition, 4’33”, which. is also an essay on Silence.] Shannan, everything you talk about in this piece is a testament to the way an intention toward silence enriches attention. I had to learn about listening by lying on my back on a hospital bed for an entire winter when I was 19. You’re obviously not as thick headed as I was.
This was a very good read
Thanks for sharing this. And yes, capitalism is sneaky! When I hear terms like "mind share" and "attention economy" I recall 40+ years ago our critique of capitalism was that it would subsume everything - including our thoughts. Whelp, here it is. Damn. Illich wrote about this in the 60s.
I particularly love reading the part from awaiting birth onward because what surfaces is the beauty that interrupts the beauty of silence. The only hope of what we call silence is away from technology because technology is about stimulation, splashes and ripples in our timelines. That’s why the addiction sustains. I love listening to music but there are a lot of times I don’t because, as a writer and an enthusiast for quality spiritual attention, I need to hear both what’s in my head and what’s outside my head that has no interest in what’s inside my head. That interface is where my writing arises. [By the way, I’m a fan of John Cage’s essay on Silence, as well as his composition, 4’33”, which. is also an essay on Silence.] Shannan, everything you talk about in this piece is a testament to the way an intention toward silence enriches attention. I had to learn about listening by lying on my back on a hospital bed for an entire winter when I was 19. You’re obviously not as thick headed as I was.