Concentration as a Resource

The three authors, Nicholas Carr, Jean Twenge, and Karen Armstrong in their respective papers, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, “An Army of One: Me”, and “Homo Religiousus” discuss the ability to concentrate in both the past and the present. Concentration is the most important way for a human to control their lot in life and it provides determination and ambition. Concentration can be allocated in the same sense as a physical resource and can be used, gained, and lost.

Concentration has been prevalent in both ancient cultures and even in modern times with a strong example being the baby boomers. The caves in Lascaux are a strong example of ancient concentration. “Some of these sites were so deep that it took hours to reach their innermost core. Visiting the caves was dangerous, exhausting, uneconomical, and time-consuming.”(Armstrong 23) These cultures may not have been wealthy in the economic sense following modern views but one can look into it and notice they are rich in other resources which could have drove the motivation for their concentration. This resource would have been their religious views. This goes deeply into their thoughts and their brains which is what truly does motivate the brain and provides concentration. The builders of Lascaux knew what they were doing was both time and resource intensive but they were able to give themselves the determination to work hard and get what they needed to done. This allocation also had the potentially unintended consequence of continuing the culture of the builders of Lascaux far into the future when the caverns were found once again. This provided an interesting secondary use for the resource of concentration allowing their concentration to be turned into a power that...

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...tion under control and make sure it stays shielded from outside influences.

Concentration has many partners and is a strong resource and is tied in deeply to other resources but it can also be difficult to control. New technologies and views within the society both provide major reasons and leverage to control the people’s concentration or let them write their own path in life. One must be able to find a way to control it, but if they do they can have a very strong voice in their own destiny and even in the destiny of others.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Karen. “Homo Religiosus.” The New Humanities Reader. 4th. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 22-41. Print

Twenge, Jean. “An Army of One: Me.” The New Humanities Reader. 4th. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 476-501. Print

Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The New Humanities Reader. 4th Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 67-74. Print