There is a new term that has steadily been sweeping the nation the past decade or so. It’s called “Mindless Stimulation,” and most of us indulge in it in some way or another.
Mindless Stimulation is the need to be constantly automated. It is today’s way of life. It is as natural as breathing out and breathing in. Seemingly we may perish without it.
The obvious elements include the internet, cell phone, twitter, Facebook and TV. However, it spans to anything connected with noise.
You pull up to most gas stations today, slip your card into the designated slot, poke a fuel grade button, lift the nozzle from its cradle and a small TV screen pops up and promptly entertains you for the duration of the fill-up.
You may not want it, but you get it nonetheless; news high and lowlights, weather outlook, a fun quiz designed to fill the dead time while you pump. It is as though a solitary moment of silence is more than a body can stand.
Occasionally I join friends for breakfast at fast food restaurants. We like to talk but often the in-house music is distracting. Why any fast food franchise believes patrons prefer piped in music at 8 o’clock in the morning is puzzling.
It’s like the music is part of the breakfast experience. Silence simply goes against the grain of “Mindless Stimulation.” Noise is essential.
As mentioned earlier, mindless stimulation comes to us from every angle. The question is, can we exist without the ability to text, twitter, Facebook, search the net, etc?
One morning in another fast food eatery, I noticed a couple sitting across from each other intently looking down at their phones. They scrolled with one hand and used the other to sift through plates of scrambled eggs.
Occasionally I glanced their way. They never looked up from the meal or phone nor did they utter a single word to each other. They scrolled and ate. This went on for the duration of the meal, maybe 30 or 40 minutes.
As if on cue, they swiped their kissers with napkins, pocked their phones and left. Again, no words were exchanged. It seemed odd, but then who am I to judge? Whatever works.
It is what it is. Impulsive motivation is a mountainous reality.
It has been said that “Conversation now is pretty much a lost art.” On the other hand, it has been written that “Silence is one of the great arts of conversation.”
Subscribing to one, the other or both would go a long way in watering down mindless stimulation.
Ted Buss is a former Times Record News business and sports editor. He can be reached by emailing tedbuss@hotmail.com.