intentionally focused contemplation: prayer beyond belief

Doesn’t it seem like the plethora of interactive electronic means for communication available to us has made it harder and harder for us to make time in our daily schedule to be truly attentive to those things that matter most in our lives: our relationships; the issues that are important to us; the values we seek to live by? We run, almost incessantly – at least I do – from one thing to another all day long, plagued by AADD – Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder. To be honest, there is no DSM recognized malady or condition called AADD, but driven by the relentless demands we place upon ourselves, as we take on more and more responsibilities – real or imagined – we force ourselves to spend less and less time on each of them, thereby creating, almost intentionally, an Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder.  With so many urgent tasks before us, how can we operate other than in a frenetic manner, focusing smaller and smaller portions of our attention on each “urgent” issue before us? And how can we find, in the midst of such a cacophony of demands, time for the important pieces? Religious community and the social pressure to participate in it, once demanded that we take at least a few minutes a week to focus on those important elements. Whether standing just inside the door of the sanctuary long enough to be present when the Eucharistic bell tinkled or bending a knee thrice weekly in worship, prayer, or fellowship opportunities, spending time considering things bigger than oneself was a significant element in many, if not most people’s lives. Over the past century, that has changed dramatically, with fewer than 20% of the population in America, and fewer still in Canada, the UK. and many other European countries, attending any religious gathering in any given week. If that statistic correlates positively with how much time we’re spending thinking beyond the closed circle of our own worldview or perspective, it can be no surprise when we come across self-centered and often vulgar responses to requests for social responsibility and attempts at reinforcing social cohesion. Those of us who are no longer believers in the supernatural needn’t lose the practice that, at one time, gave us strength in the midst of challenging personal or social realities: prayer. While true that it was once directed to a divine being we longed to influence, the mechanics of prayer are its most efficacious elements; indeed, that’s all that has ever really worked for us and its benefits have been significant. Neurologically, spending time even considering the word “god” as representative of anything beyond the Sunday School picture of the white-haired, enthroned old man, is the equivalent of a whole brain workout; we can’t find a simple answer and so our entire brain is engaged as we consider the concept. But magnetic imagining has shown that the same whole brain workout takes place when we consider any amorphous concept; it doesn’t have to be god.  Think “compassion” or “beautiful”, “hope” or “love”, “happiness” or “health”. Each of these words stir up all sorts of emotions, thoughts, images, and memories. It is extremely good for us to spend time in intentionally focused contemplation, as often as possible, in this manner, concentrating, exclusively, on one of these concepts and letting our brains wander, play, explore, and examine where they may. It is, in essence, prayer beyond belief. Intentionally focused contemplation may be the exact opposite of meditation. There, we try to empty our minds of anything. The practice of meditation takes many to levels of consciousness that are not experienced in the course of the every day.  It is a practice that takes time and effort and that has been developed primarily within Eastern traditions with various indicators of success. Meditation is incredibly good for many people but it isn’t for everyone. For those of us for whom emptying our minds is boring or a dreaded challenge, perhaps intentionally focused contemplation is an alternative that intrigues. Rather than struggling to empty our minds, we can engage the fully in the evocative practice of sitting with a concept in our minds, stirring us, challenging us, enfolding us in our past and pressing us toward an unknown but exhilarating future. Rather than a practice pressing us to illumination beyond our life experience, it presses us to illumination through our life experiences. Simone Weil, author of Waiting for God, was obviously a woman ahead of her time. Wrestling with the concept of a supernatural god, she seems to  have hit upon the importance of this very practice as she noted “Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.”  I love that idea and it forces me to press even beyond the idea of intentionally focused contemplation to an intentional attentiveness to whatever I am doing at any given moment. By doing so, I’m inspired to consider slowing down so that I can overcome AADD and build a moment or two, and then, with practice, perhaps a whole day, of unmixed attention to whatever is in front of me. A day in prayer. And wouldn’t that be a wonderful counter to the manner in which most of my other days are spent?