Listen to the rain

Yosef Brody, writing in the American Seymour Magazine and quoted on the ever-interesting site, Truthout, says that through a phenomenon that scientists call neuroplasticity, our brains are rewiring themselves to adapt to the constant stream of digital information. The constant blast of fragments and hyperlinks has significant effects on concentration, memory and understanding, and he contends that ‘blank time’ should not be undervalued.

The amount of time we spend doing nothing at all, just being alone with ourselves, is fast dwindling. Our digital devices are busy making us feel what Brody calls ‘a little less alone, a little less anxious’ – but, he asks, ‘Does that mean we are also listening less to the rain?’

On Arran, probably not. Oh, how lucky we are.