Path to One Blog

 Subscribe  In the last article, I explained that distraction can be, basically, anything that diverts our attention from a desired area of focus and that our attention is not continuous as we perceive it but our ability to focus is designed to work in bursts of attention, rather than uninterruptedly. However, we still have the initial question pending: Is distraction a curse or a blessing? I will address this question in this article below. To answer this question, we need to look at this issue from the mind or psychological standpoint. By understanding how our attention works from the biological standpoint, we can leverage this biological limitation to our advantage. “We can use distraction as a powerful tool for reducing the impact of painful or negative experiences (self-suppression) or for promoting positive experiences (self-expansion),” says Dr. Jane McGonigal in her book,  SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully . In the first case, distraction can be e...

 Subscribe  Have you noticed that more and more people seem to be consumed by their phones, tablets, and computers? It doesn’t matter where they are, on public transportation, in a restaurant, a store, a park, the gym, etc., even when walking or driving, most people are completely consumed by their electronic devices most of the time, especially by their phones. It seems that there is not a moment during the day when Facebook, Instagram, Tweeter, Tik Tok, game applications, email or something else is not consuming their attention and time. If so, if distraction is an integral part of our lives, then is this need to be distracted a curse or a blessing? Let’s start by understanding what distraction is. Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. Distraction is caused by: the lack of ability to pay attention; lack of interest in the obje...

 Subscribe  In the first part of this article published a few weeks back, I stated that we, humans, have not been listening to the teachings that animals have been given us throughout time and that, in the end, they are not really that different from us in terms of body, mind, emotions, complex reasoning and language, etc. There are two questions that remain to be answered: what are some of these teachings and are there any differences that set humans apart, uniquely, from all other animals? Let’s start with just a few of the many lessons that animals have for us. Animals, by their very nature, live focused on the moment, in the here and now, while we, as humans, far too often are distracted by thoughts and live focused on the past and future. They are connected, alert and attentive to their senses and everything around them, responding to cues about the world, ensuring their survival by living off, and with, one another, and maintaining balanced ecosystems around them; ...

 Subscribe  Today, I am going to reflect about some of the oldest and wisest masters humanity has had throughout the ages, the beloved animals. They have been around us since the beginning and, hopefully, will stay with us up to our end. Although at times some of them may have hurt us, the majority of them have helped us throughout history and have dazzled us with their majesty, intelligence, behavior and/or beauty. What puzzles me the most is that they have been patiently teaching us so many wonderful things for so long and, most of us, still today, continue ignoring them and seeing them as inferiors. To us, animals can be classified into domesticated or wild, and can be intriguing, beautiful, ugly, scary, annoying, entertaining, crazy, etc., but we have never given them the importance and respect that they deserve. For most people, they are one more thing that they can USE for their own benefit , whether is for their entertainment, companionship, performing work tasks,...