What if Lincoln Owned a Smartphone? - Cal Newport

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      In 2008, during the early stages of my writing journey, I wrote an essay for my blog that posed an intriguing question: Would Lincoln Have Been President if He Had Email? This was one of my initial efforts to understand issues like digital distraction and focus, themes that later developed into my books Deep Work and A World Without Email. Central to this inquiry was a concerning idea that struck me while watching a documentary about our sixteenth president:

      If the Internet diminishes our capacity to sit and concentrate without distraction, akin to the intense focus found in a Lincoln log cabin, we must pose the crucial question: Are we destined to be a generation lacking in grand ideas?

      In essence, if Lincoln had access to the internet, would he have been too side-tracked to become the self-made individual who ultimately transformed our nascent Republic?

      In that initial essay, I tended to lean towards “yes.” However, over the years, I have become somewhat of a Lincoln enthusiast, having read over six biographies about him. This exploration has led me to conclude that my initial instincts were misguided.

      Lincoln, certainly, didn’t face the challenges of digital technology. Nonetheless, the rugged frontier towns of Indiana and Illinois, where he spent much of his early life, presented their own analog versions of the same distractions we associate with the modern internet.

      These towns were rife with a relentless drive toward numbing distractions, particularly through alcohol. William Lee Miller noted in Lincoln’s Virtues, “Incredible quantities of whiskey were consumed,” and it was customary for every man to drink on any occasion.

      There was also the real threat of “cancellation” represented by violent mobs and numerous efforts to incite radicalism or spread hatred, exemplified by the widespread antipathy toward Native Americans, which Miller referred to as a “ubiquitous western presence” at that time.

      Yet, Lincoln managed to sidestep these pitfalls and significantly elevate his status. Many factors contribute to this narrative, but one is particularly notable: he honed his intellect through reading.

      Here are some quotes about young Lincoln from his stepmother, Sarah Bush Lincoln, who nurtured his interest in books:

      “Abe read all the books he could get his hands on.”

      “I persuaded my husband to allow Abe to read and study both at home and at school… we were careful not to disturb him while he read; we let him go on reading until he chose to stop.”

      “While other boys were out stealing watermelons and wasting their time, he was absorbed in his books—thinking and reflecting.”

      Lincoln utilized books to enhance his intellect, opening up his world and allowing him to envision new opportunities and more meaningful futures—offering a powerful alternative to the forces that sought to hold him back.

      Embedded within this narrative is guidance for our current era. To transcend the distracted shadows of the online world, we might, quite literally, take a page from Lincoln and strive to cultivate our minds rather than pacifying them.

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