Last month, March 22nd to be exact, I tuned into the television show, CBS Sunday Morning. I sat down just in time to see and listen to an interview I found to be quite interesting. The person being interviewed was Arthur C. Brooks, the author of The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness. Brooks is a Harvard professor, social scientist, and bestselling author who teaches the science of happiness. He was once a professional French horn player before his academic career. Learning that he had a music background made me all the more interested. Brooks began the interview with answering the question: Why so many people struggle with finding happiness? To paraphrase, finding happiness is not elusive. People just need time to think and process, but they tend to avoid time to do it. He spoke about the use of social media platforms. When constantly scrolling and checking a phone 205 times a day on average, has prevented quietness—simply a time to actually think. Brooks stated the constant device usage eliminates boredom and deep thinking; hence, the reason for the frequent use. People shy away from being bored, but according to Brooks, boredom leads to thinking.
As I traveled around York County and other connecting local cities, making stops here and there, I noticed people were not talking to one another. I noticed people walking while looking down on their phones—not looking up to where they were going, I watched couples sitting at restaurant tables scrolling on their phones—not saying one word to each other, and of course I noticed how the young people held on to their phones for dear life. Modern life—despite comfort, technology, and success—leaves many people feeling empty, distracted, and without purpose. Our overload with technology, according to Brooks, is pulling us away from the deeper questions that give life meaning. That meaning is something you intentionally build, so how do we do this?
Brooks breaks meaning down into three main ingredients: coherence—your life makes sense as a story; purpose—you have goals and directions; and significance—you feel your life matters to others; and fulfillment comes from combining all three. Don’t just chase happiness or success. Think about life’s meaning, and thinking is impossible when we are constantly scrolling. Brooks stated getting bored will cause us to think. I thought about it this way—taking a break from technology—no phones, no headphones, and no computers may help in getting started. Brooks stated we should stop chasing comfort and distraction, and deliberately build a life centered on purpose, relationships, and something bigger than ourselves. Although I’ve not read this particular book, I have read several other books where this same topic was addressed, and I agree with this line of thinking, totally. Get bored and find purpose.
Music often reminds us that our lives are filled with stories worth hearing.
Join me each Sunday on Facebook for SUNDAY MUSIC REFLECTIONS WITH JUNE-Listening to Life Through Music @ June Montgomery-Music.
Pause. Listen. Reflect.
/june-montgomery/images/June_Montgomerylogo.png)