While there is increasing social support, even social pressure, for conserving forms of energy such as fossil fuels and electricity, there is disturbingly little social support for conserving the energy of our consciousness. Far from support, there is increasing facility, even impetus, to squander this energy through distractions. 

Indeed, distractions are becoming dangerously problematic in contemporary culture, as can be discerned from three factors. 

Volume: A century ago, the only distractions accessible were those present in our immediate neighborhood; now, however, distractions from all over the world are accessible to us through just a few clicks on our devices. Even if we become satiated with one distraction, so many others are readily waiting, indeed aggressively competing, for our attention.   

Variety: Movies, music, TV shows, sports, political news, video games — these are just some of the many categories of distractions that are all available to us. And within each of these categories, there are multitudes of items that beckon and beguile us. 

Vulnerability: Social media tracks our consumption of content and then allures us with the kind of content that will most likely entice and entangle us. While we may think that we are fishing for content that interests us, we may well be the fish who is being baited with the content that is most likely to exploit our vulnerabilities. 

Bombarded by such distractions, we may find our capacity to function effectively declining; we may even end up addicted without even realizing what is happening, and our life may become hellish (Bhagavad-gita 16.16). 

The more we realize how dangerous our situation is, the more we will be motivated to take personal responsibility for monitoring our consciousness conscientiously and directing it constructively. 

One-sentence summary:

Conserving the energy of our consciousness is difficult because our tech-centered society captivates our consciousness with distractions that are increasing in volume and variety — and are increasingly targeted at our vulnerabilities. 

Think it over: 

  • Has the increasing volume of distractions affected you? How?
  • Has the increasing variety of distractions affected you? How? 
  • Have you been affected by distractions increasingly targeted at your vulnerabilities? How?

***

16.16: Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions, they become too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and fall down into hell.

 

To know more about this verse, please click on the image