Cereal boxes and taking back attention
/
On the grocery shelves still today — and not much different (except for the price!)
Links to Stuff I Love on the Internet—and Beyond
Welcome to Issue #2 of my Good Stuff Letter. On most Saturdays I’m sharing the things I’ve read, watched, listened to—and loved —that week.
In the mornings when I was in grade school, I would head first thing to the kitchen where on a good day Frosted Flakes or Captain Crunch or Coco Krispies would be sitting out on the counter—or maybe Cheerios or Cornflakes.
No matter, really. I’d pull out the whole milk, grab a bowl and a spoon on my way to the kitchen table, and then I’d sit down, eat, and read every inch of the cereal box.
I always loved to read. My favorite day of the month in elementary school was when the scholastic book orders came in, my favorite day of the week was library day, my favorite part of each day was when my teacher read us a story.
And I guess you could say those cereal boxes were my first non-fiction reading by choice (junk reading as it was, those cereal manufacturers regularly turned out new material).
As an adult, I continued to love reading—and I have always had this habit of reading first thing after waking. I just replaced the cereal with coffee and the cereal boxes with my iPad/internet.
People say I read a lot—and more than a few remark that I have more time than they do to read. But on both accounts, I don’t think so.
I read about 30 minutes on weekday mornings before I head out the door to begin my day, and longer on any lazy weekend morning I can get. At night, I often watch a television show or two, but then I try to get in bed about an hour before lights out to read. Add 20 minutes here and there while eating lunch or waiting for an appointment and any free Sunday afternoon, but most of my reading time happens first thing in the morning and last at night.
So I wouldn’t say I read A LOT or that anyone couldn’t do it.
What I think is happening, though, is that many people aren’t reading as much anymore—especially long form content. I know the number of books I read fell sharply for several of the last few years until I set a goal this year to read more books again. I’m currently at 35 and counting.
According to Mark Manson in this great article, The Attention Diet, we’re moving so fast on our screens, scrolling and clicking from one short snippet to the next, that we’re becoming perpetually distracted and we can’t focus.
Which is directly related to an epidemic of anxiety and depression and inability to DO anything that requires focus and attention—like read long-form content.
It’s possible that some people can no longer read anything longer than a few sentences at all without wandering off.
Not only that, but as is Manson’s point, these short bits of content that are so easy to consume are really just like that sweet cereal from my childhood. They spike fear and insecurity like blood sugar.
Scary, right?
In my humble opinion, the best antidote to distracted minds, in addition to the attention-building diet in the above link, is to simply to take our attention and focus back—and read. Especially books and long-form articles that engage our minds.
Our poor world really needs engaged minds.
Good Stuff This Week
It seems my links have a few themes…
On manipulation of minds:
How we were sold tobacco, bacon and the ideal of a thin woman — Meet Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud’s nephew. See how he manipulated the masses. See how “History does’t repeat itself—it rhymes.”
Triggered : How %!$@ and other conservatives make you their stooge It’s ironic that the title of this article should not be repeated verbatim. But after reading this article, I invite you to join me as I never using the T-word again.
Speaking of propoganda and manipulation, don’t miss The Great Hack on Netflix. Cambridge Analytics and social media in current times. If nothing else, you’ll never forget that this data company has 5000 points of data about every American, that they swayed 37 elections worldwide to date, including Brexit and the 2016 U.S. presidential elections…and anyone can do it again. Oh—and are you a “persuadable?” Check your social media feed during the next election for a sudden onslaught of targeted ads.
On the human heart:
We’re in a Crisis of the Heart — Not only do we need to take our minds back from technology, but our hearts.
Small Kindnesses — But then again…Love this!
On Climate Solutions
I love this CNN quiz on climate solutions that uses my absolute favorite climate resource, Project Drawdown (I talk about the climate crisis and Project Drawdown here). We hear so much about the dire facts facing our poor planet and too little, in my opinion, about how we can solve this massive and immediate but solvable problem. Take the quiz! “The most effective ways to curb climate change might surprise you.”
So much about solving the climate crisis is creating about new mindsets that create new lifestyles. The circular economy makes so much sense!
On Racism:
Have you seen of the 1619 New York Times series this past week on slavery in the U.S.? It’s award deserving journalism, for sure.
“In August of 1619, a ship appeared on this horizon, near Point Comfort, a coastal port in the British colony of Virginia. It carried more than 20 enslaved Africans, who were sold to the colonists. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is finally time to tell our story truthfully.”
All the articles here.
One of my favorites in the series:
“America holds onto an undemocratic assumption from its founding: that some people deserve more power than others.”
And yet conservatives don’t like the series. Imagine that.
“The fact that they took a wide-ranging examination of slavery’s lasting ills as an attack on themselves was a fairly obvious confession.”
Finally, my book recommendation this week:
After the focus and and attention on issues that matter, I really like to escape into the world of story where I can fall into the lives of the characters for awhile and forget our sad ‘ol world. I just finished The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan this week. It’s about two estranged friends and a scavenger hunt that reunites them—with clues that reveal their truths. Loved how it went back and forth in time from their childhood to their adult lives—and the lives of their families and friends…and it takes place on a lake—near Tahoe. A delight!
If you feel moved to comment on any link, feel free to share your comments on at the bottom of this post (if you got this letter in your inbox click here). Would be fun to have conversations about our reading!