I see it all the time (and you do too, I'm sure). Students texting, checking cell phones, plugged into iPods, monitoring "myspace.com" or "facebook." It is exactly like compulsive hand washing or ritualistic checking behavior. They are--literally, I think--addicted to gadgetry or, better yet, to distraction. This is, in a word, madness, and what it produces is emotional imbecility. What do I mean by that? People are getting more and more incapable of simply sitting quietly with their own minds. They can't do anything without, say, musical accompaniment. What's wrong with silence, with peaceful introspection, with REALITY? There is a Zen saying: "When you eat, just eat; when you sleep, just sleep." In other words, nothing added. The problem is, people today can't "just eat" or just walk or just work out. They need their gadget sidekicks with them no matter what. They don't even talk--they "send messages" to pseudo "friends." When you are addicted to distraction you deprive yourself of the opportunity of practicing something that is essential to mental maturity: affect tolerance. People are less and less in touch with what they feel. They are cut off from emotion, good or bad. They fear their own minds. And more technology will lead to more emotional imbecility. I consider this very dangerous. What kids need today--some adults too--is less distraction and more meditation. More silence. Un-plug the e-self and get back to the Self. Wake up!