Focus!

As I watch my chemistry teacher sing in her choir, I can't help but lose track of all other worries and thoughts in my mind. It is so hypnotic. So meditative. Until... zzz...haha! The girls sitting behind me receive a message on their phone and giggle about it. I turn around and see the older woman sitting next to them begin to lecture the girls on proper listening etiquette. I feel a bit better. Five minutes later a bang comes from their direction and echoes throughout the whole chapel. They dropped their phone. I am embarrassed for them.
Reflecting back on this, it made me curious as to why teenagers cannot stay off their phones, even when they know they shouldn't have it on. And why is it that the previous generations have different priorities and are able to focus on one thing at a time?
We need to be overstimulated. We need to do more than one thing at once. More like more than three things at once.
We claim we are so stressed and overwhelmed, but we create that for ourselves. We love to be stressed and overwhelmed! If we wanted to, we could let social media go, let the television take a break, and let our minds realize what is truly important and needed to be focused on. However, we don't. And that is why we are drowning in homework, chores, and extracurriculars.
On the other hand, it is this need to do more things at once that will allow us to be innovative and save the world. We just have to know how and when to channel our abilities for the better.
Previous generations do not seem to have this need for constant stimulation. They seem to have a greater appreciation for the present and are better at focusing on what is going on at the moment. But also, it could mean their brains are lacking in mental capability. They never had as much technology, and were never exposed to as much stimulation. Their brains are done making mental leaps. In a way, this can be a good thing. Nothing frightens me more than seeing a one-year-old glued to their parents' iPad. It is something adults that didn't have that technology look down on. But perhaps, they can't do the great feats that this generation can and will do.
This need for stimulation can be both a good thing and a bad thing. However, people should learn when to control that, and when to embrace it. A chapel is not the time or place.