Years ago, we organized a conference at IPAO on the family, our favorite topic, and the fragmentation of knowledge that was foreseeable… Now, looking back, this phenomenon is happening without us even noticing. We perceive reality as fragmented, driven by stimulus… just like much knowledge.

We’re immersed in noise. Noise of all kinds: from the ubiquitous social media, from the TV series we sometimes binge, from the street… Everyone shouts to attract attention. A scenario of posturing and pretense, almost limitless, that loses the “roots” that sustain life.

We’re prey to the thousand stimuli happening around us, and they “stalk” us, because the algorithms know what we like and how to hook us into “an endless scroll”… trying to find something that surprises us. And that increases stress and anxiety. Even sleep.

With constant noise, you can’t think clearly. And all of this is addictive, because it’s easier to be seduced by things that draw us in like a magnet than to dare to think for yourself, figure out what I should do, and then plan it and use your willpower to make it happen.

The brain, including the prefrontal cortex, is affected… Connections change, and attention becomes fragmented. Neural circuits and synapses diminish, thinking weakens and becomes more superficial. Willpower is not exercised…, self-control fails, and what is not used is eventually lost. Every time we allow ourselves to be seduced, it counts.

Furthermore, we are neglecting personal relationships, friendship, love… Something that takes its toll, because we are relational beings, created to fulfill ourselves precisely in these interpersonal relationships, a source of motivation and personal improvement. Neuroplastic substances, so interesting and necessary for our brains, are secreted in them… And we settle for virtual friends and likes, which cause a dopamine surge with every interaction, but they don’t fulfill us… nor do they help or accompany us. Instead, they cause addiction. And the person is “built” and improves through personal contact.

In this way, we “sell” our attention to the highest “bidder”: to the algorithms behind everything virtual, and we lose the capacity for deep, reflective thought, analytical and critical discernment, so necessary to steer life.

It also diminishes creativity, which is so characteristic of people and comes with genes… Everything is given to us ready-made, and we don’t have to make an effort.

Our perceptual sphere is narrowing to the consumption of enticing stimuli, social media, TV series, scrolling, high-speed videos, and dull shorts that entertain but create addiction, especially in young people, whose brains are still maturing. And they end up saturated with all this, often empty, isolated, lacking a deep sense of purpose in life. Their attention and their interests are hijacked.

Because technology, in the words of Daniel Goleman, “by taking over our attention, hinders personal relationships.“

The speed and immediacy of screens leave no room for thought, self-discovery, reflection, or planning meaningful goals. It empties our minds.

In this dull way, the “light culture” of haste, speed, ease, is becoming fashionable, not the authentic culture of striving for something valuable that one sets out to achieve according to one’s qualities, dreams, desires, and ideals that underpin a life.

And without thought, we act reflexively, somewhat conditioned, like animals: driven by impulses, instincts, stimuli, and vibrant emotions. This diminishes freedom and broad-mindedness. And our actions cannot be free, nor, therefore, responsible. We are trapped in an endless loop of “hyperactivity.”

The external world captivates, but the internal world builds and gives greater freedom to think and strive for something valuable. By stepping out of the immediate, absorbing world, we regain insight, glimpse the horizon, and glimpse meaning. It’s a matter of health to pause to rethink things, to pick up a good book that nourishes the mind and the heart, or to enjoy time with friends, a hike, a coffee, a walk, or a family meal…

Focus your attention on what helps you in some specific way in your life. Create quiet spaces to be with yourself, contemplate something, and use your imagination and develop creativity.

Deep down, we are masters of our own selves. Free to think, act, converse, love… to be ourselves. To create our own lifestyle. With a purpose. And time is short… to love. So, stop and think!