9 minute read
From frazzled to focused
From frazzled to focused
Taking a stand against the culture of distraction
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by Laura M. Devick
Martha’s music app awakens her with the gentle sound of a string quartet. Before her coffee, she’s checked texts, headlines and feeds. Grabbing her cup en route to the couch, she trips over a pile of clothes from last week’s unfinished decluttering project. Sitting and sipping, her Rosary seems less prayerful and more an exercise in reining in her wandering mind.
The work day brings with it a feeling of being surrounded—physically and virtually—by so many people, yet feeling alone.
Thinking ahead to after work? She feels obliged to catch up on the book club’s current read but knows she might lack the energy for anything more than streaming TV. Her mom’s text interrupts, alerting Martha that today Dad goes for a clinic follow-up. Martha recalls his recent hospitalization—stress instantly resurfacing in her mind and body.
Getting up, she puts her coffee cup in the dishwasher. She hasn’t stretched in over a week, and the twinge in her back reminds her. She feels like she’s trying to be too many things, do too many things—all at once. There is an undercurrent of sorrow, and she wishes life felt more fulfilling....
Distraction is as universal as it is inescapable. Dr. Anthony T. Flood, a 20-year philosophy professor, knows it’s tempting to blame the world for distracting us. He cites the example of the Des-ert Fathers, men and women who left the cities to focus on prayer and the spiritual life as early as 200 AD. They wanted to avoid distractions too. Yet even in the desert, their writings reveal, distractions continued!
“They should have had fewer distractions than anybody,” said Dr. Flood, an author and father of three. “There’s nothing to look at, there’s no kids to deal with, there’s nothing in the desert, and yet—they’re challenged by distractions even there.”
It’s as true then as it is now, Dr. Flood said, proving that “the externals are never the primary issue. When we’re distracted, nine times out of 10, it’s coming from within.”
Tami Kiser, a 55-yearold mom of 10 in Sunset, S.C., agrees. “Distraction is a battle within ourselves that all ages and cultures have struggled with.”
Kiser knows she’s not alone. As a Catholic teacher, speaker and writer, she’s found kinship in St. Martha. “She is the workaholic too distracted with her chores to pay attention to Jesus, even though He is right there in her presence.”
What is distraction, really?
In the Catholic tradition, the problem of distraction can be called by another name, revealing the underlying vice: sloth.
But sloth is misunderstood when it’s equated with laziness, Dr. Flood said. “That is not how the monastics or St. Thomas Aquinas understood it. Sloth is, fundamentally, a refusal to be the person God wants you to be.”
That sorrow “Martha” felt at the end of the day signals she hasn’t moved closer to the ultimate goal: living her vocation.
“While sorrow isn’t desirable, neither is it permanent,” said Dr. Flood. “Aquinas thinks the deepest joy is found in charity or union with God.”
Productivity gurus and secular organizational strategies abound—and they can be helpful. Yet Catholics can get to the deeper roots of distraction through the lens of faith. It begins with “acknowledging what your primary vocation is, what you’re supposed to be doing and doing it,” said Dr. Flood. “It sounds all grand, but it’s really very practical too.”
Once we focus on the practical duties of our state in life, next we develop the habit of assigning priorities to our tasks—and completing them one by one. In our modern multi-tasking world, this is not something that comes naturally.
“There’s always 800 things I could be doing,” said Dr. Flood. “While probably 400 of them are also important, some of them might be left undone at the end of the day—and that’s OK.”
The trade-off is worth it. “All of the virtues have a pleasure associated with them. Anything you’re doing with that good habit or virtue brings with it a delight. If you choose to be the person you were called to be, then joy will come.”
The vocation of marriage, including the duties from raising a large family and working over-time, led the Kisers to a breaking point 10 years ago. She felt she’d suffer “a heart attack or nervous breakdown, or something worse” if she didn’t start prioritizing faith and a slower pace of life.
The family bought a cabin on a few remote acres, lacking all technological conveniences. No cell service, Internet or TV meant Kiser’s self-described workaholism had to cease. Martha-ness gave way to Mary, and Kiser was able to rest at the feet of Jesus. She found time to give to her family relationships.
“I have such a hard time just being with my kids,” Kiser said. “I have such a hard time sitting quietly, listening to God. Yet I know how important this is.”
The time spent in silence grew into a vision they longed to share with others.
After three years, they began to search for a large property that could host families, couples and individuals. Their “pearl of great price” was purchased and Heart Ridge Camp and Ministry was born.
As the only Catholic retreat center in South Carolina, Heart Ridge serves Catholics—and non-Catholics and even non-believers. Summer family camps give whole families the chance to share undivided attention, take in the beautiful surroundings and be together in a traditional camp setting with bonfires and stargazing. They can also deepen faith through daily Mass and faith study. When camp is not in session, Heart Ridge offers a hostel and limited number of Airbnb rentals. These diverse ways of reaching prospective guests have brought many who might not otherwise visit.
“We warmly greet them and offer them lodging and a cup of coffee. They are welcome to walk the grounds, sit on our swings by the lake, pray in our Mary garden,” said Kiser.
A large library of books, many of them faith-related, are available to borrow, and guests can take in conversations in the common spaces. “The Sacred Heart image is present in every building here. We hope His subtle presence is felt, not only in our artwork, but also in our presence.”
Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist is available for quiet prayer in the tabernacle located in a chapel on the grounds. It’s a source of strength for the Kisers and their guests.
‘KEEP AT IT’
Indeed, sacramental graces help us to prioritize and focus on one task at a time, Dr. Flood said. They provide the tangible support of God when we fall or fail.
“Reconciliation and the Eucharist are particularly relevant here in developing the discipline and the virtues to follow through,” Dr. Flood said.
Understanding theology of the body rounds out this conversation as we consider that we are created as a gift—and called to be a gift for others. It’s hard to be a gift, to truly live our vocation, when we’re distracted.
“We don’t need more time on a computer screen, or with our phones,” Kiser said. “We need more time with real human beings, in person.” And we need each other. Even the Desert Fathers received the support of a community, just as we do in our parishes, families and neighborhoods. We can remind each other of an important truth, Dr. Flood said: “You just don’t give up. You fall and you get up. The Desert Father’s advice was to keep at it.”
At the heart of distraction is the refusal to be who God wants us to be. When we focus on our vocation and completing the tasks God gives us—one at a time—the presence of the virtue of hope counteracts the vice of sloth, or distraction.
The culture tempts us to go five directions at once, and that pressure has been there from the beginning. But Christ shows us another way—one that is as radical as it is simple.
Fully, freely and fruitfully
Apply some practical tools to give the gift of yourself to relationships, work and daily priorities.
GIVE YOUR FOCUS
FULLY — Apply modern productivity tools to your Catholic life. The Pomodoro technique is a simple one: focus on one task for 25 minutes, take a short break and then begin another focused segment. Suitable for a number of tasks and vocations—and yes, there’s an app for that.
God created our brains to pay attention to what is right in front of us, and modern psychology research agrees. By focusing on one task at a time, while arranging our tasks with the higher-thinking needs first, we can make the best use of modern productivity research in a thoroughly Catholic way. And it goes without saying that we can silence and put away phones or other distractions during times of focus.
FREELY — Learn about your vocation and how to live it. Books, talks or videos, or a spiritual director’s guidance can enable you to deepen your “yes” to your vocation.
During prayer, minimize distraction by doing a brain-dump. Write down the thoughts that distract you on a sheet of paper. This will either generate an epic to-do list or will clarify that your distractions aren’t of consequence. Either way, God accepts the offering of your prayer (even when you feel unfocused).
AND WATCH FOCUS BEAR FRUIT — Less Facebook, more faces. Fewer Instagram pics of your mocha-chai-latte, more long walks with a to-go cup in your hand, a friend by your side. Consider enjoying physical activities with others. It both develops relationships and helps you enjoy your ability to move and appreciate God’s natural creation.
Don’t forget: within your vocational duties, set your own pace. Place firm boundaries on technology’s hold. Try to use it more often as a tool to enable personal connection. Give yourself permission to use technology as entertainment, but set a time limit to prevent overuse— or even addiction.
