Tower and Town, June 2024 (view the full edition)Clergy LetterIt never ceases to amaze me just how much ancient wisdom is forever applicable. Doctors are now prescribing 'Nature Therapy' for patients suffering from anxiety and depression. I was impressed to see that such a recommendation made it into American Psychologist Jonathan Haidt's book, 'The Anxious Generation', published at the end of March this year. The very high rates of mental illness the Western world is experiencing Haidt blames on the Smartphone and its revolutionary bursting onto the technology scene, from 2010 to 2015. No other new invention made its way into the hands, hearts and homes of the general human populace as quickly as the gadget we all have in our pockets and in whose company we spend a great deal of time. The thesis is this, in Haidt's own words, "My central claim is that two trends - overprotection in the real world and under-protection in the virtual world - are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the 'Anxious Generation'." Essentially, the Smartphone allowed access to too much information too soon. Developing brains can't process so much, and the end result is Chronic Anxiety - so widely besetting today's younger generation. What really caught my attention was the chapter entitled, 'Spiritual Elevation and Degradation'. Spirituality is key to addressing the anxiety brought on by the Smartphone. Haidt, a staunch Atheist., suggests six spiritual practices: 1. Participate in 'Shared Sacredness', be it Christians singing hymns, Muslims circulating the Kaaba, or even protestors chanting together. 2. Coming up for Communion is important, as is standing and sitting collectively. Such acts are believed to aid groups in forming stronger bonds. 3. Engaging in 'Mindfulness', stillness or focus, aids connection to self and other. 4. My favourite is 'Self-transcendence': while our sense of ego is diminished, we feel more interdependent and connected to people and forces around us. Contrasting this, Haidt writes: "Social media is a fountain of bedevilments. It trains people to think in ways that are exactly contrary to the world's wisdom traditions: think about yourself first; be materialistic, judgmental, boastful, and petty; seek glory as quantified by likes and followers." 5. Practise being 'Slow to anger, quick to forgive'. The dangerous and vicious polarisation in Western politics is as a result of the Smartphone. 6. Find 'Awe in Nature' - for example, the recent display of the Aurora Borealis. In terms of mental health, and to help alleviate the anxiety brought on by the Smartphone, attending to Spiritual Wellbeing is the right thing to do. Indeed, 'there's nothing new under the sun.' Tim Novis |