Multi-Tasked and Over Stimulated

Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. ~ Proverbs 27:20


Have we lost our ability to remain focused? I don't remember a time in my life where the minds of so many people are so scattered. It seems to be very difficult for people to remain intent on one thing. To get people to bear down and focus on a dilemma or a project is a difficult task these days. Within and without, people seem to have no sense of direction. Better yet...they have no sense of purpose, and yet I find that these two thoughts...focus and purpose are connected. How can one maintain a pursuit upon a 'purpose' when their mind cannot remain focused? How can you ever find a purpose in life if you cannot discipline the mind? When one slows down for a moment (if you can), its not difficult to see how upside our society has become. Earl Nightingale said, "You become what you think about." and if this is true, well then, what are we?

We have become a society of multi-tasked and over stimulated people. We cannot seem to live unless our lives are inundated with some type of stimulation. Look around, what do you see? The next generation, and even our own are caught up in this technological vacuum. Cell phone in one ear, iPod in the other, eyes fixed on the computer screen, or the Ipad, doing homework with one hand while text-messaging someone with the other, and don't forget the television is blaring in the background.


In the documentary, Digital Nation, they researched this 'new' phenomenon that has overtaken our nation, and in fact, the entire world. I found it interesting how they studied students who were considered multi-taskers. Within themselves, these multi-taskers felt like they were very focused and well able to maintain the myriad of objectives in their lives. Yet, after being put through some test, it was quite clear these students actually lost their ability to remain focus, even though they 'thought' they were very focused and able.


You see...multi-tasking overloads and burdens our system. Everything in the media, every television program, every movie, every music CD, every computer program, every phone app, every video game is designed to give us higher and higher levels of stimulating responses. None of these exciting things are necessarily bad. What is bad is that they are unrelenting. It is a constant bombardment of the mind. A continual 'harassing' of the brain. There is no downtime.


It is a no win situation, a catch 22 if you will. The eyes of men are NEVER satisfied. The more we overload the pleasure center, the higher the barrier goes. So we seek greater and more pleasurable activities to get over that barrier to the pleasure center. We become hedonistic in our pursuit of pleasure. Our happiness is defined by the level of excitement in our lives. Then pleasure itself becomes unpleasurable. Overstimulated minds reach a place called anhedonia, which is an inability to experience pleasure.  The truth is excitement is not happiness and true happiness cannot be found in excitement. In fact, excitement is the ultimate drug. It is excitement that people are seeking after when engaging in any destructive or addictive behavior.


I have always felt we were entering another dark age. Where once again, the human mind is unable to perceive the world around them, but not because the information is not available, but because there is too much information available. During the 'dark ages' people were unable to think for themselves because knowledge was locked up. The Bible was not accessible to the common man. The invention of the printing press changed, for the better, the mind of the world. From that point on events have snowballed right back to where they once were...darkened from the truth about living and life. The irony of it all is we have access to a plethora of information, yet we are living within the dregs of a dumbing down of the human mind.

Paul warned of perilous times in the last days. Men would be lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Jesus said...in the last days the love of many shall wax cold. Love requires focus. If what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13 is true, and I believe it is, then love believes all things, hopes all things, bears all things, and endures all things, and you can't love like this without focus. You can't have a focus like this without a love for the Word of God and without a love for the Word of God, you will never find your calling or true purpose. No wonder there is such an intent in this world to keep us unfocused and continually caught up in its pleasures.


As we enter the sixth week of this 'game', I hope you can 'see' there is more than a game being played here. As a marathon runner and having to learn how to remain focused and keep to a training plan for eighteen weeks, I knew there would be a handful of people who could not keep focused to the end. (I tried to warn everyone!) I knew eighteen weeks of trying to remain steadfast toward a goal would prove difficult for some and overwhelming for a few. Many are having trouble remaining focused. I see many caught within this crucible of pleasure and focus. In this instant gratification pleasure oriented society, we want it all. Not only do we want it all NOW, but we want it all, served our way and in our time. But this is not a true picture of life. If the truth be known, we have lost some precious things in this overstimulated culture. The things of meaning have become mundane. Books are boring. To read their words takes focus and concentration of mind. The outside world has become a threatening place. No longer can the soft breeze of a summer wind stimulate a person enough to be a pleasurable event. To get someone to take a walk in the rain is next to impossible these days. Hobbies of the hands and mind have given way to video games that rob the brain of imagination. Individual creativity is falling to the wayside as we lose touch with the world around us.


Its bigger than just a game!!! This is your life. This is my life. Within our grasps could very well be our eternal life! I hope and pray, in the weeks ahead, as you and I are tossed to and fro in this epic battle to find our purpose. We can 'see' the power we give up when we remain connected to this need for stimulation and so disconnected from reality. When you feel the crux of all this over stimulation fall upon your mind, THAT is the time to step outside its power. Go for a walk. Ride your bike. Sit in the sun and read a good book. Let your God given mind be stimulated by His Word once again! Though it would be nice to win the game, the truth is...in the long run, if you break these chains...you my friend have already won!