Incubator #104 | Gifts and dumbphones
On wrangling technology to help us give better attention to each other
The Mitra Martin Incubator is a newsletter dedicated to world-building and cultivation, helping the seeds of the future (work, education, parenting, and housing) be seen and grow.
Hi everyone! Do you feel it too? It seems a movement is growing. Collectively we’re starting to wake up to our agency in the face of tech. I’m excited for new partnerships and projects to amplify the potential of this moment. More to share in coming weeks!
Quote that really lands for me today
“True attention allows potentialities latent in human relations and encounters — often immediately stifled by the weight of the everyday and the hegemony of what is agreed to exist and to require attention — to flower and flourish.”
— The Twelve Theses On Attention
When was the last time you gifted someone with completely unbroken attention? What potentials inherent in our relationships and encounters might we be missing out on, because of tech-fragmented attention? What would it take to unlock these?
Your sacred attention
Have you tried to make your smartphone bother you less? Not easy! I find it exasperating that even with my phone on Do Not Disturb, AND Airplane Mode, AND with my ringer off, I still receive visual pollution if I look at it. What does it take?
Hello dumbphones! Yes, dumbphones are really a thing: just a super basic phone that doesn’t hurt your brain by its very existence. Companies that make them actually have a business model that is aligned with focus and wellbeing. Learn more about the dumbphone boom, dumbphone communities, and inspirations.
The tech-conscious family
I don’t have a dumbphone —for now. So I have to carefully manage the temptingness of my device. When Stefan and I eat, we both stash our smartphones someplace out-of-reach and non-visible. This helps us enjoy more fully the amazing food he cooks, have deeper and more intricate conversations, and avoid getting tempted to “phub” each other.
Thank you so much for being present with me through this medium. May you experience moments of sanctuary today, either on your own or with others. If you feel moved, share this with someone whose attention has been a gift to you.