Maybe I’m just getting old and starting to talk about the good old days (and I’m only 36). But I’ve observed something multiple times in just the past week that is getting more of my attention.
Do you remember the days when a young boy could spend hours listening to a baseball game on a static-filled AM radio station? Or when the entire family would gather together to watch It’s a Wonderful Life or an Ali title fight? What about a time when people did nothing but drive when they were behind the wheel of a car?
I was in a continuing education class a couple of weeks ago and sitting next to this guy who had a Treo device, a laptop, a newspaper, and the educational materials. Even with his laptop hooked up to the wireless internet this guy simply couldn’t find anything that interested him. I watched him go from one device or medium to another, endlessly, and he still struggled to stay awake. 
Last night I went to a Razorback Basketball game. I remember going to games when I was a kid and all I did was clap, stand, shout, sing with the band, and cheer on those Hogs. It seemed almost all of the rest of the people in attendance did as well. I watched as kids aged 10-15 didn’t watch one minute of the game. They were finding TVs, their cell phones, and just walking around more interesting than a decent game. Moreover, by the time there was less than 10 minutes to go in the game many people began leaving. People pay big dollars for tickets but don’t find it worth their time to sit still to the end. They might actually get caught in a traffic delay and have no one to talk to on the cell phone. How horrifying.
Look around at people driving. You will find people talking, texting, eating, applying makeup, watching DVDs, and more.
I’m not sure, but it seems almost all of society, at least those who are 50 or younger, suffer from some amount of what people love to call attention deficit disorder. We all must be super efficient, yet we can’t focus on any one thing for more than about 10 seconds. I’m really starting to wonder what is causing all of this and why it isn’t being talked about more. If we can’t focus for any amount of time (I know I’m guilty), it can’t help but create communication issues (in marriage, at work, with our kids), vehicle accidents, and emotional and mental instability as boredom gives way to binging.
What’s the source and how shall we combat it?