I read all your stuff, and just bought Groundedness (I was overdue) for my current trip to Chile. This article is why I both read you and also why I tag you in my own articles and writing.

I had precisely the same response the first time I drove up to one of those pumps. I felt violated, the last wee bit of airspace attacked with invasive species. I climbed back in the car and closed the window. i feel the same way about news. I don't watch, but to keep up via computer. My TV isn't even hooked up. These days I retreat further and further, perhaps among the last of the Boomers who really truly enjoys the internal conversation which isn't interrupted by constant invasion, otherwise known as entertainment, otherwise known as Hoovering whatever sanity and brain space to which we have access.

I don't need to be entertained. At times, maybe. But thank god for making different choices, being able to shut off the noise, leave the phone, turn off the TV and be in the wild without needing to be amused. This is one of your more important pieces, Brad. Not enough people will read it because it is a challenge. One line out of it stands out like a neon sign:

With this language and these concepts, all of us can be more aware of the forces preying upon (if not destroying) our attention and our ability to think serious thoughts.

I swear we are becoming a nation of imbeciles wholly incapable of doing just that. Well done, well said and keep writing.