Are you really there?

We are hyperconnected and easily distracted, always available and rarely present.—iGods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives, electronic edition

<idle musing>
That reminds me of a line in Dune. Paul is thinking about his father and he says that one of the things he liked about his father is that when he was present, he was there. Really there, attuned to the surroundings and listening to you.

How many of us are truly there when we are someplace? With the distractions of always on Internet and texting, I wonder if we've lost some of the ability to truly be there for someone. What do you think?
</idle musing>