The familiar story of Jesus visiting the house of Mary and Martha (Luke:10:28-32) invites reflection upon who are, what we give attention to and how we use our time. Here, Jesus is the teacher. Mary sits at his feet, listening, learning, and wondering. Her sister Martha is busy with hospitality to guests. The story highlights that activity is to be balanced with times of doing absolutely nothing - being fully present, simply being with God.
In our contemporary context, this story does invite a focus on what it means to pay attention and to whom we pay attention. It has been suggested that attention is the most powerful tool of the human spirit, while at the same time it may well be our scarcest and most valuable resource. Yet, our attention seems to be constantly re-directed in our ‘anytime, anyplace, anywhere, always connected 24/7 world’.
Linda Stone has coined a wonderful phrase – continuous partial attention, which she explains as being connected, busy, in demand, constantly scanning for opportunities, to be in touch with the best opportunities, not wishing to miss out on anything. We have an ‘always on’ mentality.
It means that people’s attention is anywhere but here and now. We see it in cafes, meetings and social gatherings where people are busily distracted - ‘virtually present’ in other places but not really fully present with ‘real’ people in ‘real’ time.
Stone suggests continuous partial attention creates an artificial sense of constant crisis, that in being so accessible, we’re actually making ourselves inaccessible.
Stone concludes that like so many things, in small doses, continuous partial attention can be a very functional behaviour. However, in large doses, it contributes to a stressful lifestyle, to being seduced into operating in crisis management mode, and leads to a compromised ability to reflect, to make decisions, and to think creatively. Sound familiar?
Fundamentally, our attention patterns have shifted, along with our capacity to be fully present. It’s also impacted upon our spiritual journey and the way we are attentive to the presence of God. What, then, do we want to pay attention to? It may well be that what we do with our attention may come to define us as human persons.
Like Martha, we are distracted and worried by many things. Our yearning for fulfillment may be satisfied when we give priority to meaningful connection, stillness, and silence. Henri Nouwen once wrote that our lives, while full, are often unfulfilled. "Our occupations and preoccupations," he said, "fill our external and internal lives to the brim. They prevent the Spirit of God from breathing freely in us and thus renewing our lives."
How might we be attentive to our spiritual journey - time spent in being with God, in nurturing our relationship with God, being ‘present’ to the quiet still voice of God still speaking to us? Making room for the Spirit of God to breathe freely in us, and thus to renew our lives.
While life is unfolding before us, we risk missing the breath and presence of the Holy One if we cannot slow down our speed and be present now. Spiritual leaders of all religious traditions have taught that the only way to really know God, to apprehend God, is to be aware of God’s presence in the moment.
The Practice of Mindfulness – by Renee Miller. |
