Recently, Christ Hall bought a small electric scooter for the use of the parish priest of Christuraja parish. It has a smart appearance, good pick up and an excellent balance, and comes with an attractive price tag. I was amazed by the energy efficiency of this vehicle. A few hours of charging and it is ready to go eighty kilometers. It appears very sustainable in the long run. This vehicle may reflect the increasing grip of a consumerist culture on us, but it made me reflect on aspects of our inner world. Energy efficiency for greater sustainability is the catch word today. But for what do we conserve our energy? We are likely to get dissipated amidst distractions and disorientation unless we pay an increased attention to a healthy spiritual life. Means of distraction are aplenty in a cyber age. The value of regaining the spirit of concentration, awareness and mental tenor to stay focused has again become crucial. A goldfish in an aquarium has an attention span of eight seconds while a mobile addict has an attention span of only seven seconds! This I picked up from a dialogue in a recent film. It is instructive to listen to a Ted-talk on concentration by Dandapani, a young monk. Try to Google it.
Fr E.P. Mathew, SJ
Provincial