Kindling

“Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.”

--Blaise Pascal

I've been ideologically opposed to Kindles since they came on the scene.  This has less to do with technology itself and more to do with what Kindles are replacing: books.  

I love the feel of books, I love the smell. And I know I'm not alone. 

I love going to others' bookcases, bending my head, straining my neck to learn more about their owner, my eyes pausing on a title that connects my heart to the book owner in a moment of recognition.  I have that book too! Or I've been wanting to read that for years.  How was it?  

Books on bookshelves.  Sideways titles on spines.  They are ways of connecting us with other people through a love of ideas and the patience to sit and imagine and be swept into the same worlds and notions.   

I received a Kindle for Christmas.  

I was nervous to buy my first book. Was I giving up on my principles? Was I contributing to the demise of my beautiful, fragrant bindings of pages and ink?

Immediately, I read thirty pages of my first electronic book. It was pretty simple to do.  The screen is not like a computer and makes for easier reading.

The next night as I opened my Kindle to keep reading, I realized I could download a free word game.  So I did and I spent an hour playing the word game instead of reading.  Like so many times, I chose a more mindless form of entertainment instead of broadening my mind with reading or writing.  

I write this post not to demonize the Kindle or the internet or games.  I think they all have their place and I'm quite sure I will read more on my Kindle and enjoy taking it on trips with me.  And much to my cautious delight, I've heard that some libraries are beginning to allow you to check out books on your Kindle as you would a hardback.  

As the Pascal quote above suggests, my point is more about distraction.  Entertainment is certainly not a bad thing in itself and I partake quite frequently in movies, television, and silly websites like awkwardfamilyphotos.com.  But I find myself doing this to the detriment of my brain and heart.  I never feel emotionally, spiritually or intellectually lifted after reading a snarky blog or spending hours clicking from link to link to link (even if it is just news sites).  In fact, I feel just the opposite, like a I need a brain bath.  Or a brain rest.

Thomas Merton said that “Man was made for the highest activity, which is, in fact, his rest." A recent NYTimes article talks about how many people are seeking solace from the distractions of the screen.  Some writers (and I can sympathize) actually pay for programs that force them offline during their writing hours.  

Farmer and I are thinking of banning mindless computer searching after a certain time in the evening.  A little extreme perhaps but I think we need it sometimes.  I spent a week in Texas with family for Christmas and I was so relieved to have left my computer at home.  Why then do I return to my habit as soon as I get back?  Even though my brain is sometimes fried from parenting two active children, could I relax and renew my spirit more adequately by reading or writing instead of surfing?  

More important than turning all our screens and technology off, I hope that we are conscious of the things in which we invest our money and energy.  

"There's a meeting of minds slowly designing our future days...

Who's gonna stay here and think about it

Who's gonna stay

Everybody's left the room 

There's no one here to talk it through

Now stay, stay, stay

Eyes wide open and your jaw on the floor

We see science fiction ain't fiction no more." 

Sara Groves, Scientists in Japan

A much better alternative to screen time: my new nephew!

The best Christmas package!