… and so it seems to me that in this most twenty-first of centuries we live our lives in a state of unending distraction.
The minds of my children are constantly adrift: no sooner do they return home from school than they are on their books, seemingly oblivious to all else. At other times, I turn my back for an instant and discover that their attention has wandered, drawn by the bright colours and instant gratification provided by their Lego.
My eldest is unable to converse sensibly in the presence of so much as a single comicbook. My youngest is utterly preoccupied with string. The appearance of a ball or toy automobile causes both of them to twitch visibly.
Worse, it appears that this vulnerability is not limited to the young. Only yesterday I was typing an instant message of vital import when I found my attention entirely diverted by the antics of our hamster. Five minutes disappeared – lost, irrevocably – in what seemed like an instant.
None of are safe from this menace. We must remain constantly al
C21st Diary Fragment