I read today...

... that people who are bombarded by the techno-glut of information that is the modern McLuhan Global Village are suffering from drops in IQ - up to ten points - as a result of it. The study asserts that people who get to do tasks in isolation are more efficient by far than their paged, cell-phoned, and emailed colleagues.

And yet in Reaching Out, Henri Nouwen writes, "But what if our interruptions are in fact our opportunities, if they are challenges to an inner response by which growth takes place and through which we come to the fullness of being?" Nouwen would have us walk our solitude in a far more challenging way than someone like Thomas Merton, for the isolation of a monk and hermit has to make it easier? How do we find our innermost self in a world that would have us be "passive victims of a world asking for our idolizing attention"? (Nouwen's words again.)

I think I'm beginning to understand Nouwen's solitude - finding a way to make our inner voice accessible more frequently helps us reach out in a better way. And for it to be a practical aid, this solitude must be available in everyday life. But I am finding myself so distracted by life and its constant demand for my focus even as it changes its demands at an increasing pace, that I can't seem to give this inner voice more than passing attention amid the disruptions. Merton may have had it right to some extent - getting time away, just to catch up with one's own thinking may be the only realistic way to make any sense of it all.

There is a facility in Ottawa run by nuns called "The Upper Room" - it is a place where you can check yourself in for a period of time such as a weekend, and spend the period of time reflecting, meditating, or simply being quiet. I find the idea very appealing. I think my wife could benefit greatly from it too. Perhaps someday...