Adding To The Noise

"What’s it gonna take to slow us down

To let the silence spin us around

What’s it gonna take to drop this town

We’ve been spinning at the speed of sound

Stepping out of those convenience stores

What could we want, but more, more more

If we’re adding to the noise

Turn off this song

If we're adding to the noise

Turn off this stereo, radio, video….

• -?Switchfoot,?Adding to the Noise,?2003

In his much-acclaimed book, Factfulness, Hans Rosling tells the story of an explorer who hired some African locals to travel with him to explore the southern part of the continent. They made some really good progress over the first two weeks or so, but sometime during the journey, the explorer woke up in the morning, got dressed, and went out, ready to continue the trip and found the locals sitting around doing nothing.?

Baffled, and slightly angry, he demanded to know why.?

The local expedition leader explained they had to wait because their bodies had been travelling so fast that their souls had been left behind and needed time to catch up.?

I smiled when I read that, not realising the hidden truth in that statement.?

The world we live in has become so noisy – so much so that we can hardly think for ourselves anymore.?

We have a new currency – and it’s not measured in pounds or dollars – but in attention (brings a new meaning to the term ‘pay attention’) ??

There is a frantic war for our attention because simply put, it is now?raw cash.?

Author?Paul Angone, in his new book, Listen to Your Day, has coined the term ‘the infinite scroll’?– the fact that most social media platforms are built so your mind can’t catch up with your?scroll?– so you don’t pay attention to what you’re watching or the time you’re spending – creating what he calls ‘behavioural cocaine’.?

I have certainly fallen victim to this trap. I deceive myself into thinking that because I’m on LinkedIn, not TikTok or Facebook more of the time, ‘’ I’m somehow superior ‘’ because I was 'learning about business and lifestyle’ and?not just mindlessly watching videos of influencers driving their cars or inviting us into their homes – but the effects were the same – mindlessly scrolling,?not spending enough quality time with my family, getting distracted so I couldn’t notice the beauty of a sunset, or find my mind wandering when talking to my?staff due to my attention deficit.?

To compound the problem is the famous ‘algorithm’ – the fact that the platform sees what you’re watching and feeds you more of that information, which means we become so entrenched in our views – and the noise gets louder and louder and we can’t hear the other side anymore.?

We say we live in a tolerant society, but really, views have hardened on both sides – vaxxers and anti-vaxxers, Republican and Democrat, Labour, and Conservative, Left and Right, immigrants and locals, Muslims, and Christians.?

The world has become noisy. Too noisy. The clamour for our attention is getting louder and louder by the day.?

Many years ago, I made a conscious decision?to spend 5 am to 7 am daily in?silence, meditation, and prayer, but some days when I wasn't??paying attention, I hear a ping from my phone or watch, and by the time I realise, I’ve gone down this rabbit hole of social media and lost almost an hour to the ‘infinite scroll’?

That time is costly because that time is when virtually all the material for my newsletters, poetry and books are birthed.?

It’s also when I’ve been able to think around problems, pray, jot down notes, journal, and find peace within. It’s the time I plan for my day, remember people in pain and distress, and reset my priorities.?

But all that time gets wasted just from a ping from my device.?

I am convinced that in times of silence, solitude, boredom, of nothingness, those times are when we discover our true, creative, and authentic selves.?

We need to wrestle back control of our lives by simply paying attention to our choices.

So, this week, how can we devise times to create solitude and silence so our souls can catch up with our bodies?

I'd love to know your take on this!?Email me at?[email protected] ?or check out my website (soon to be revamped) at www.stevenadjei.com, and let's talk!

To get this newsletter first and best - PLUS my second FREE book, subscribe at www.stevenadjei.com.

Art Credit: Prof. Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia ("ENK") (he/him/his)

To share:

1. Watch out for my latest article in the UK's top Business magazine, The Business Influencer. Subscribe here: https://thebusinessinfluencer.co.uk and get your tickets for London's Flagship Business Awards, The Signature Awards on 29 September at Mayfair, where I'd love to meet you: www.nachural.co.uk
2. Listen to my latest podcast as a guest of the all-African Boardroom Banter Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep-70-failing-forward-how-to-turn-setbacks-into-success/id1595801006?i=1000624509906
3. The hardback copy of my debut #1 Bestseller Pay The Price is available on Amazon for under ￡11.00 on the UK site: https://amzn.eu/d/dXPFS9q. It has already bagged two awards, and is in the running for 2 more - The BIBA Business Award, and the Readers Favorite Award. Fingers crossed!!