2015 IS GENERATION...... (ALWAYS ON)

In this article, Elon University studies the future of the “always on” generation. This generation is categorized as young people who were born since the mid-1990’s. “By the year 2020, it is expected that youth of the “always-on” generation, brought up from childhood with a continuous connection to each other and to information, will be nimble, quick-acting multitaskers who count on the internet as their external brain and who approach problems in a different way from their elders”.

In my personal opinion I could not disagree with some of that statement from the article more. Science proves us as human beings are not even able to multi task. We may feel like we are accomplishing multiple tasks at once by doing each of them to the best of our ability but it is impossible for the human brain to complete two intricate tasks at one time. It is great that the newer generations are born into a technological learning environment where a plethora of knowledge and communication is at our fingertips but other research proves that this constant connection could lead to a societal exhaustion. In a recent interview on 60 minutes, reporter Anderson Cooper interviews MIT trained scientist John Kabat-Zinn on the practice of “mindfulness”. Mindfulness is an ancient Chinese and Buddhist practice where people meditate in order to stay more present in daily life. John Kabat-Zinn describes meditation as a mental workout. Your mind wanders away from the anchor which is our breath and then you just gently and nonjudgmentally bring the mind back to the present moment. It is the nature of the mind to drift away as John Kabat-Zinn describes the mind as the Pacific Ocean; it waves and waves and mindfulness research shows mindfulness to drop underneath the waves where you find calmness and gentle undulations. We are much healthier if we live and focus on each moment and in fact, the best way we can take care of the next moment is by being present in this moment.

In the study done by Elon University it is stated, “While these survey participants see this as mostly positive, they added that we are already witnessing deficiencies in younger people’s abilities to focus their attention. Some expressed concerns that trends are leading to a future in which most people become shallow consumers of information, and several mentioned Orwell’s 1984.” I think the technology boom could be great for education if used properly and if teachers educate young people on the pros and cons of using technology. We need to educate our students how to use the technology responsibly to avoid getting “burnt out”. I often teach meditation, yoga, and mindfulness practices in my school during health and physical education. I believe it is having a positive influence over the decisions my students make with how they use technology and is giving them the tools in order to stay more present in each moment. When we are present in each moment and focus on our breathing we can make much better decisions and think comprehensively with each task at hand.