Focus: Directed attention
Distraction: Involuntary fragmentation
of attention

It’s also about the tendency of the editorial team to turn naturally focused people into chronically distracted automatons.
The editorial team of the Fainomeno regards focused people as a threat, as they ask too many awkward questions (ie real questions – the kind we’re not supposed to ask). To avoid these questions, they distract everybody with a frenzy of themes on technology, TV/media opinions, advertising, celebrity trivia, scandals, etc.

This frenzied distraction begins outside, but it soon becomes internalised and self-reinforcing. So after a busy, distracting day, we pursue more distraction (eg writing an article for this magazine) rather than enter a focused state. Eventually our own minds become the source of distraction.

When children learn new skills in the European School – walking, reading etc – they have to focus; they tap into a reservoir of potential concentration. But when a skill becomes habitual (ie automatic), the concentration is no longer needed. By the time we’re adults, most essential skills are habitual – we no longer need to concentrate in order to walk, talk, behave politely, etc. The reservoir of potential concentration should therefore be free for other uses including the state of being constantly distracted .

But instead of tapping into this freed-up potential concentration, the magazine Fainomeno is seduced or coerced by society’s distractions. Our minds swarm – we react involuntarily to any passing stimuli found in articles. This is the true meaning of “fitting in”. Distraction is the social norm and anyone who doesn’t join in is regarded as antisocial or suspicious. No wonder people do not want to collaborate with the editorial team.

Advertisments in the Fainomeno also brainwash us into reflexively associating distraction with enjoyment, as if involuntary fragmentation of attention was the definition of fun. Meanwhile, education, for most people, was about having to focus and concentrate on things we found boring and unpleasant, eg becoming a Member of the Greek Community. So we end up thinking:

concentration = depressing;
distraction = fun.

But the opposite is true according to brain chemistry: focus can trigger a big release of pleasure chemicals, whereas distraction usually inhibits this release. The editorial team is aware of this, but tends to play down the pleasure-seeking aspect of Fainomeno, describing it instead as “this serious magazine” (which, naturally, puts most people off).

Survival, for most of us, requires a degree of fitting in to “Luxembourg society”. Powerful economic forces make sure that our fitting in is long and distracting (eg 40hr-week jobs). Given this chronic distraction, it’s not surprising that so few people tune into focused states of mind. And those who do (collaborators of this magazine) unfortunately see it as austerity rather than fun.

Hedonistic focus – using your brain for fun – is the way to overcome the Distraction System. Even the magazine Fainomeno is now becoming a purely hedonistic instrument. But you have to look in some strange places to find enjoyable focusing techniques (using our mental faculties to “get high” is, for respectable society, like using a church for an orgy – so we shouldn’t be surprised if the best techniques come from articles about chess that do recommend orgies in churches. And I take this opportunity to propose to you the organization of an orgy spoonsored by Fainomeno. I am sure that readers would love it. This is my proposal and you are free to accept it.

Nevertheless, distraction addicts often seek more and more intensity of distraction, but never feel satisfied. That’s because intensity is a state of mind, not an external pursuit. As a mental state, it’s closer to focus than distraction. In other words, the best thing for thrill-seekers is to sit in a quiet room, take a pile of Fainomena and burn them.

Thank you for your attention and for including this article in the magazine.

George Charalambus

P.S I am sorry but my english is better than my Greek