May I have your attention, please.
Such a loaded request.
It’s almost amusing that we have so little attention to give when we dedicate hours every day to perfecting the art of poking at our smartphones.
You’ve probably heard the average American spends three-hours-and-thirty-five-minutes per day on their phone. And if you’re like me you’ve probably thought, sure, sounds like a lot but is it really that bad? Well, here comes the math that nearly made me drop-kick my fancy gadget. Over one year, those daily hours add up to: 160 work-days worth of attention.
That’s more than HALF-A-YEAR’s work-week’s worth of agency (say that ten times fast). It’s a <bleeping> lot of agency. Vaporized.
How often are you genuinely giving focused attention to your phone? Reading an article all the way to the end? Reading the full caption even on an instagram post? I won’t speak for you, but for me it’s often more like lazy-attention.
Scroll faster. Consume more! LIKE CLAP LOVE!
Most of the time we scroll as an escape from attention. Entering the fog. The fog entering us.
But when we scroll lazily, we’re practicing not focusing. We’re getting better at paying less attention. Rehearsing disassociation. Making focus more challenging when we need it.
Maybe you’re fine with that. If so… you do you! I’m not here to judge.
BUT… if you’re not fine with it then, 1) I’m sorry to be the bearer of ugly-math and 2), you’re welcome. Because it’s damn hard to address the roots if you don’t see the virtual-forest through the digital-trees.
Now, as a “content creator” I’m obliged to acknowledge the and-ness here: it’s bad and there’s a lot of great stuff on the inter-webs — some of it wholly worth pulling focus. The best of it can have a positive, real-world impact. It can inspire, motivate, organize and connect people across the globe for good.
Also sometimes we need puppies and Pedro Pescal memes. I get it.
But… half-a-year’s work-weeks’ worth?
If you could reclaim even some of that time, how might you choose to spend it?
But, Jennifer, what does this all have to do with EARTH DAY?
I’m so glad you asked, because the answer goes straight to the heart of why this space was born:
We can only LOVE what we KNOW.
And we can only SAVE what we LOVE.
Sometimes we forget to look up and out. Remember the real world? With changing light and dramatic weather and plants capable of stimulating senses beyond the touch of a screen and blur of a passing digital content?
Here’s a fabulous teaser from the real world:
A few weeks ago I hopped on a train to interview my niece in Illinois who, when she was nine years old, while giving her focused attention to the plants emerging from the soil of her real-world garden, fell in love with nature and bees. Her attention and love deepened her curiosity and — upon learning about declining bee populations and climate change — triggered her empathy. Out of her empathy and concern was born an urgent need to act.
After learning she couldn’t establish a safe-zone for pollinators in her yard (thanks to pesticide drift from neighbors’ spraying habits), she approached her state representative and ended up writing and passing — at the age of eleven — legislation which more safely regulated pesticide use in Illinois. She DID THAT!
The thoughtful manner in which Scarlett answered questions (for a larger story I’m writing) was the inspiration for the gateways that have become the core principles behind Good Footprints:
Attention → Curiosity → Empathy → Action
Scarlett’s experience, in her own words, establishes that you don’t need expertise to create real change. You need attention, passion and an idea.
It also demonstrates the importance of the WHY that drives activism with purpose.
And finding your WHY starts with a choice to refocus wonder to encompass the world — this precious third planet from the sun — the one that gives us life and nourishes our bodies and souls.
So this Earth Day…
I’d love if we’d all vow to lower our carbon footprint in an effort to deny power to the fossil fuel industry. It would be flipping fantastic we’d consume less meat, drive and fly less — opting for public transportation, bikes and trains. And while we’re at it we could demand banks and institutions divest from fossil fuels. And vote for legislators who will enact significant overhauls to our infrastructure.
Those things would make me ecstatic.
But saying you’ll do these things for Earth Day feels a bit like making New Year’s Resolutions you’ll follow for a week or so and quickly forget.
What matters in creating a lasting change is your WHY.
And for today, I’m not talking about dire IPCC reports or terrifying headlines that have become abstract and so overwhelming as to paralyze us into thinking the problem is too big (it’s not, and I’ll share more on that in a future post).
Today, I’m talking about setting time-limits on apps (in settings in your phone) and making empowered choices about where attention is placed.
I’m talking about allowing ourselves to look up, down, out and around with awe. To feel love and be curious.
I’m talking about surrendering to small moments of wonder for the world in which so much exquisite beauty is everywhere to behold — here and now — while so much is threatened and/or already vanishing.
So, claim some phone-free time today as an act of resistance!
Turn off notifications, stash away your phone and GO FORTH into the out-of-doors. The open, wild and uncontainable. Be unreachable.
Get to know something nature-y in your neighborhood.
Find a bug and watch it work. Inhale oxygenated breezes. Admire the specks of minerals in a rock. Taste a falling raindrop. Hug a tree. Then sit under it and feel that coursing through the ground, up through its roots and out to other trees is a highly-sophisticated, intelligent network of communication we’ve only barely begun to comprehend.
Let yourself fall in love with that knowledge.
Frolic in a field! (I see you you,
)Whatever you do, give attention and breathe it in. And when your face breaks into a smile, know that a rush of endorphins is boosting your immune system. And then smile again.
And for real’s sake, only pull out your phone if you’ve engaged deeply with nature and are inspired to compose a photo. And use compositional skills you learned from this post, obviously:
If you made it this far, THANK YOU for your attention — I appreciate you! Now put down your phone, walk away from the computer, and go outside.
Until next week, keep spreading good footprints of attention, curiosity and creativity.
We are revamping-(well was it actually vamping?), our garden this summer. It's all about the bees and the butterflies and... baby! Can't wait! Loved your words today.
Love this. Three cheers to Scarlett! How amazing. My favorite part of the day is coming home and ignoring my phone. That's not to say I'm not writing on my laptop, but I'm not doom-scrolling or trying to pass the time by checking social media feeds. And I love old-fashioned phone calls that involve only voices and no screens. Those need to make a comeback. Here's to a happy Earth Day. I've already enjoyed my urban hike. West Los Angeles is finally getting some sun and smelling like spring. I plan to only walk today, no driving, and to appreciate this rock we are on. Thanks, Jennifer. xo