T
ATTENTION GRABBING TITLE!!!!
^^(This is an example of content-based innate involuntary fascination)
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(Figure 1.1) This is some serious stuff guys |
I believe that we should start framing Directed Attention as a resource. The resource is precious and fragile, just like our atmosphere. It is finite and expendable, just as the oil field too have a limit. It needs maintenance, protection, and reverence, just like the forests, oceans, and jungles.
It is something that, like oil or natural gas, in itself is useless. But when applied in the context of the human experience, it carries the potential to discover, invent, learn, and expand upon mental maps. Directed Attention is the "fuel" that runs the "engine" of our minds. It drives "focus" and "clarity", which enables us to attain higher levels of mental order and processing.
Low Battery Probs
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(Figure 1.2) The International Figure for "F*** I need to charge my battery" |
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(Figure 2.1) Brain farts are a common side effect of Directed Attention Fatigue (DAF) Please contact your doctor if you experience brain farts lasting more than an hour. |
On could argue DAF as the highest perpetrator of stress on college campuses throughout the nation. It could even be the reason that the flu season happens whenever school starts!
Mindfulness v Madness
The idea of "restoration" is centered around a quality of mindfulness and peace. It is the ideal environment in which our minds can restore the resource of directed attention and recharge. Find somewhere that you turn off your mind, relax and float downstream, it is not dying. Just chill out!
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(Figure 3.1) |
I am not going to comment on how to be "restorative" because I think that is something different for everyone. I will share my thoughts that meditation and mindful breathing can be used as tools to bring the mind to a more relaxed state. I believe that it is in this relaxed state that directed attention can be replenished.
Endnotes
In order to maintain this resources and prevent the dis-ease of the mind (DAF), we have to be mindful about restoring and managing the resource. Maybe we deicide that using 20% of the battery in two minutes tasks is better than using 40% in one 40 minute hiatus. Maybe if we never let our batteries get below 50%, they would last longer in later adulthood at we would see less occurrence of diseases like dementia or Alzheimer's. I don't have any citations, but these hypothesis raise questions about the importance of taking care of this resource.
So, take a long breath after reading this. Give yourself at least 5 minutes of reflection to restore the directed attention you used to read this blog. See if you feel any different afterward.
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