Beep boop. Bleeeep! Sbloup. Chirp. My office sounds like a circus. The only difference is the circus stays in one location; it doesn’t travel with me and certainly doesn’t come into my house.
Our interconnectedness is slowly driving us all crazy. Maybe I shouldn’t put words in people’s mouths, but it is driving ME crazy. We live in a day and age in which we are constantly communicated to. We are constantly sold products, ways of life, and are victims of over-marketing. Endless communication occurs between friends and loved ones. We know more, than we probably should, about more people in our lives than we could ever hope to truly impact.
We are frantically flying around searching for our next high. We rush from one meeting to the next, sending and receiving messages, going to lunches, social gatherings, book studies, and bars. We are constantly entertained, and through it all a single thought dominates our thinking, “What’s next?”
We are not actually present in what we are doing. We are aloof, searching for how to do it better next time, or how to get more people involved. This type of mentality leaves us drained, void of meaning, and with a fatalistic view that nothing will ever be good enough.
The call to the Modern Gentleman is to stop this senseless way of living. It is a call to value those around us and truly engage in what is currently happening. Even though most days I want to go Office Space on my devices, this is not a call to detach ourselves from our surroundings but rather to invest in them.
This is not to say that planning or looking to the future is evil, but if the future becomes our idol we will never be satisfied with today. Start living in your present reality! Start investing in the people around you. This is a healthy practice. It will bring happiness, maybe even true joy, to you and those around you.
The most meaningful conversations I have ever had were focused conversations. Phones were silenced and put away. Music was used for white noise, or turned off altogether. There was no thought of what was next; I was only fixed on the current conversation.
When people truly invested in my life in this way, it made me feel valued . A Gentleman should never forget that each and every person with which he comes into contact is unique and was created and placed where he is for a purpose. That purpose often takes time and focused attention to discover but is worthwhile.
So with this in mind…
Esteemed gentlemen, relax. Breathe deep. Focus on the task at hand. Forget the cacophony of sound coming from your pocket. Invest in the present. And above all else, for your own mental health, slow down!
- Mind Matters - October 18, 2018
- Listen. No Really, Listen! - September 8, 2016
- Selflessness in a Self-Driven World - June 23, 2016
