It’s difficult to maintain attention when surrounded by distractions. Even if we’re just trying to focus on our own thoughts, distracting words have a way of popping into our head uninvited. David Marno has been studying early Christian thinkers, for whom prayer meant paying attention to God, leading them to worry that distracting thoughts were caused by evil demons. But avoiding these demons of distraction wasn’t the goal for everyone: the poet and preacher John Donne believed that true attention could only emerge out of distractedness, and so wrote poetry that moves readers from distraction to spiritual attention.
Bonus clip
Why prayer isn’t about asking God for what you want but about aligning yourself with God’s plan:
Works mentioned
– Evagrius Ponticus, Chapters on Prayer
– John Donne, Sermons
– John Donne, Holy Sonnets
Further reading
David Marno at The Conversation – “Tolerating Distraction”
“Reining in Attention” – video of event at 92Y
Jamie Kreiner at Aeon – “How to Reduce Digital Distractions: Advice from Medieval Monks”
Jonathan Malesic at Commonweal Magazine – “Taming the Demon”
Shaj Mathew at The Millions – “Tumblr as a Commonplace Book”
Dan Chiasson at The New Yorker – “Forms of Attention”