With your phone seemingly magnetically attached to your pocket, even if on silent or airplane mode, the temptation is always there to check it.
Setting aside the layers of reasoning for this impulse, and the numerous ramifications for the behavior, let’s isolate one ramification: the potential to experience a state of deep thought.
By deep thought I don’t mean active, busy thought. Us taskmasters are plenty good at that. 🙂
I mean a wise state of wondering. Of calm, authentic contemplation.
Seriously, how often do you contemplate?
Contemplation might mean pondering metaphysics and epistemology. Or, it could mean intensely considering solutions to an obstacle in the workplace. It could mean self-reflection on the past year of your life. It could mean wondering what it was like to live 200 years ago. Or it could mean daydreaming.
It’s not so much whether the experience is whimsical or focused, it’s whether you’re in the moment. Contemplation requires slowness and silence, space and solitude.
And separation from your phone.
Cheers,
Joel
