How do we cope?
| Popularly, we either find other, non-work activities to
pay attention to (sex, sports, entertainment, religion, politics). Or we use socially
approved drugs (in this civilization mainly the various forms of alcohol, caffeine, and
nicotine) to either shut down or take the hard edge off our focus of attention and
memories thereof. Unpopularly but realistically, many of us fall victim to the whims of fate. Accidents befall individuals. Disasters befall groups. Injury—short-term or long-term—causes us to learn to focus our attention differently, sometimes for the better, sometimes—depending on the severity of the injury—for the worse. And where does it all lead? For most, into a rut. After decades of adult life, the focus of attention becomes habitual, very powerfully habitual. What’s called the daily routine is actually a rut, a series of changes in what we pay attention to: Wake up Day in, day out, night in, night out. Next thing you know,
you’re dead. Back to Saltlick Contents |