ARE YOU ATTRACTED TO DISTRACTIONS?

(Are Distractions Hurting Your Educational Life and Personal Growth?)  

A Gift Given to Me Recently Gave Voice to a Longstanding Concern of Mine

Recently, a friend of mine who wasn’t able to celebrate my birthday with me in February gave me a belated birthday gift. The gift was a beautiful little book titled “Wake Up to Life- Breath”, written by a man named Prem Rawat, who, for many years, has served as her spiritual teacher. When I opened the book to get a taste of the author’s wisdom, the page I landed on featured words that have been spilling out of my mouth (with a tone of concern and frustration) for quite some time now: “human beings are so attracted to distractions.”

Author Prem Rawat Speaks to the Unconscious Condition in Today’s World

Known as ‘Distraction’

In his book, Prem Rawat elaborated on these words when he stated the following: 

“The attraction to distractions is a bad habit that robs you of the essential things that you need to make this life a beautiful occasion. Do you know the difference between a magician and a pickpocket? The magician gives you back your wallet. The fundamentals of being a magician and a pickpocket are DISTRACTION. They both have to distract you. A pickpocket will take a five-dollar bill and throw it to the ground while you are waiting there with your luggage. His accomplice will come by and say, “Excuse me. I think you dropped a five-dollar bill.” You reach to pick it up, and your luggage is gone. Distraction. Do not be distracted. Focus!”

Rawat Posed the Following Questions to His Readers:

To drive home his point, Rawat asked his readers to ponder the following questions:

“What will you lose if you don’t focus? What will the pickpocket steal from you? When you do not focus, when you allow yourself to be overwhelmed by incredibly trivial things, you no longer recognize the very thing that is bringing you the gift of life. You no longer recognize existence. You no longer recognize the passion of the heart. You no longer recognize your thirst for knowledge. You no longer recognize your soul’s calling to be fulfilled. Sleight of hand and it’s gone.”   

Life, I Believe, Is Too Precious to Be Consumed by Unhealthy Distractions

Like Prem Rawat, I believe that life is too precious to be consumed by distractions. It’s too precious to spend several hours a day on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok. It’s too precious to spend untold hours on porn sites or celbrity gossip sites. It’s too precious to indulge in TV shows that glamorize crime and violence, or that spew toxic political news. And yet, the news and entertainment industry's dominance in media production and distribution contributes to this trend. Unfortunately, the concentration of media ownership in just a few companies limits the diversity of perspectives, reinforcing particular social norms and values that favor entertainment.  This creates a cycle where entertainment is continuously promoted, making it challenging for real and meaningful educational content to gain traction.

During the Years When I Was Busy Creating Educational Content for Humanity,

It Was Vitally Important That I NOT Be Distracted 

Speaking of educational content, I’ve created a lot of it. I’ve written twenty books and co-authored three. I’ve also developed a few dozen online courses and programs that feature dozens of audio recordings and videos. I never would have been able to do this if I had allowed myself to be distracted. Had I turned my eyes to the outside world for trivial stimulation during my writing tenure, rather than the interior of my mind and imagination that were longing to express themselves, I never would have been able to create my body of work. Had I turned my ears to the outside world for trivial stimulation, I never would have connected with my breath, the breath that connects me to spirit. I never would have connected with my spirit guides and ancestors “on the other side” who guided me in the creation of my work. I never would have fully realized how my personal healing journey was meant to be a catalyst for planetary healing.   

Our Youth's Attraction to Distractions Pains Me Greatly

(Who Is Grooming Tomorrow's Leaders?)

As an educator who has worked hard to craft my teachings for humanity (because I'm not blind to the fact that we've been on a collision course with the natural world for too long, and we need to pave a new path forward), it pains me to see a large segment of society placing entertainment above education. It especially pains me to witness the large number of teens and young adults who are spending several hours a day watching frivolous, mind-numbing content online. Whether "just for fun", or because "reality sucks" and "the future is uncertain", they are indulging in the daily practice of DISTRACTION. While I don’t consider myself a social media prude who never watches a silly, amusing, or mind-bending video online, I'm aware that if I get in the habit of watching the glut of videos featured online, especially those that highlight "other people's business", I'm likely to lose not just precious time, but pieces of my heart and soul.

Artificial Intelligence Is Creating an Artificial World

(AI Is Generating More Cravings for Entertainment)

As I’m sure you’re aware, much of the video content online these days that people of all ages are watching is being fabricated. AI is creating an artificial world, as advancements in AI technology have enabled the generation of content, people, and environments that can be indistinguishable from reality. This phenomenon is highlighted in various contexts, where AI is used to create images, videos, and even elaborate virtual worlds that challenge our perception of what is real. The ability of AI to generate realistic content raises questions about the authenticity of what we see and hear, as it becomes increasingly difficult to discern between real and fake creations. In a world where real problems need to be addressed, such as excess consumerism, waste, environmental illness, climate change, nature deficit, and spiritual disconnection from ourselves and each other, do we need to become even more immersed in the world of virtual reality than we already are?

Can AI Restore the Public’s Interest in Real and Meaningful Education?  

If there is any good news about AI, it is that it can be put to good use for educational purposes. It can be used to enhance teaching and learning. It can assist in course and lesson plan creation using tools like Top Hat and ChatGPT. It can also support adaptive learning, where the pace of learning is tailored to individual students, unlike the fixed pace in traditional classrooms.

My e-Learning Platform, You May Be Interested to Know, Features AI Tools

My e-learning platform online https://learn.ecointelligenteating.com,  where my multiple courses are offered, now has AI features. While I never used it for writing my curriculums (and the books that are part of them), because AI wasn’t around during the years when I was developing my work, it is now being used by many educators to generate curriculum drafts based on learning objectives. It is also being used to streamline student enrollment processes by auto-filling and verifying personal details using smart form recognition. 

Though I’m a Slow Adaptor When It Comes to Technology,

I See How AI Can Benefit the Learners

Though I’m a slow adaptor when it comes to technology, I see how AI can benefit today’s learners. And I’m glad to have a learning platform where some AI features have been added to it, that can make my educational materials more accessible and effective for learners, that can enhance my teaching, and can also automate student inquiries, track student progress, and even provide support recommendations.

What I, As an Educator, Am Seeking Right Now

Are People Who Want to Begin Thinking for Themselves Again   

We all know that the world of education is changing fast. What I, as an educator, am seeking right now is a connection with people (both younger and older alike) who want to begin thinking for themselves again. I am seeking a connection with those who, like me, want to cultivate a stronger sense of self-worth and reduce the influence of others on their thoughts and actions. I am seeking a connection with individuals who want to become healthier and happier during a time on earth when both of these states of being are more challenging to experience, given the gravity of our social and environmental ills. Last, but not least, I am seeking a connection with individuals who are motivated to achieve success in their lives and who can appreciate the idea that success is about “making a difference.” 

Do You and I Share the Same (or Similar) Passions?              

If, like me, the passion that lives at the core of your being centers around alleviating personal and planetary suffering, and if like me, you believe that it’s time to recover nature’s lost wisdom for living well on the planet (so we don’t have to suffer so much), and if like me, you hear the calling to serve your family and/or your community,  as an Eco-Mentor, I hope you won’t waste another minute on activities that distract you from your appointment with destiny. I encourage you in this moment to visit my two “sister websites” so you can learn more about what inspired me to develop all of my educational tools and programs. Consider purchasing one or more of them so you can begin to participate in and share a meaningful eco-education legacy with your family. The time is NOW to create true and lasting change in your lives and the world!   

Candia Lea Cole

Founder, Eco-Learning Legacies

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