Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area

Second in the Oblivious series

In the wonderful children's book The Phantom Toll Booth by Norton Juster there's a chapter which has always resonated with me. The protagonist – Milo – arrives at a town were the population are so engrossed in their busy lives they forget to look-up. Eventually the very buildings that surround them begin to fade from view, yet nobody notices – they're oblivious. This cause and effect has always made me think of the time we spend distracted by screens and other such things, the fear of missing out and our ever shrinking attention span at the expense of the wider world around us – myself included. I love digital technology and all the opportunities it brings, but maybe every now and again we should stop for a moment and, unlike the inhabitants of that story, look-up.

The second in the Oblivious series.