Albert Borgmann’s Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life (1984) contributed immensely to the emerging philosophical discussions of issues surrounding modern technology. He is a professor of philosophy at the University of Montana, specializing in the philosophy of technology. According to Borgmann technology is the key mediating factor in our interaction with the world, and commodification has become the central driving force, accompanied by ever new forms of technology. Neither of these factors is morally neutral. We shape technology and then technology shapes us by delivering commodities that promise us pleasure, comfort, leisure and convenience, but paradoxically often leave us bored and distracted, alienated from what is real--other humans and the earth. Instead of engaging what is real, we commodify things, taking them out of their time, place and community and putting them in the decontextualized market where they are available for consumption, free of any moral claims they might make on us. Hence according to Borgmann the latest iPod becomes more important than health care for the uninsured, spending on home theaters more important than providing for public parks, fast food more desirable than the labor of preparing the evening meal.

Borgmann's book introduced the notion of what he called focal things and practices. Borgmann's antidote for losing our personality to modern technology is to return to focal activities. Focal activities are practices which center our attention on the richness of life. For example, the preparation of a well cooked meal calls upon our skill, focuses our attention on the necessities of life, and can be an aesthetic or sacramental communal activity, where as frozen dinners commodify the process of eating. Technology can assist in the performance of focal activities - witness the wide array of kitchen implements available - as long as the technology does not become the focus instead of the activity. It takes commitment on our part to engage in focal activities, but the effort affords us a chance to maintain some sense of self in the technological world. Crucial feature of a technological device is that it makes something available to us in a comfortable way. You don’t have to work for it. It’s there at our beck and call.

According to Borgmann a focal thing is something that has a commanding presence, engages your body and mind, and engages you with others. Focal things and the kinds of engagements they foster have the power to center your life, and to arrange all other things around this center in an orderly way because you know what’s important and what’s not. A focal practice results from committed engagement with the focal thing.

In his book he provides examples of focal things. For Borgamnn, a guitar is a focal thing -- it commands a certain kind of engagement of my body and mind. As you learn to play it (a focal practice), it engages one with the larger tradition of music and the community of musicians. “The meal is a focal thing and its preparation is a focal practice. The wilderness is a focal thing and hiking a focal practice. The stream, or the trout, is a focal thing -- fly fishing the focal practice. In the life of the Christian community, the bread and the cup are focal things and the Eucharist the focal practice. Focal things and our engagement with them orient us and center us in time and space in ways that technological devices do not. A focal thing is not at the mercy of how you feel at the moment, whether the time is convenient or whatever; you commit yourself to it. Preparing and sharing a meal together constitutes a focal practice that has the power to reorient the life of a family.”

For me St. Thomas is a wealth of focal things and practices. The Church offers a lot of focal things and practices. People serve together on committees to help the needy, participate in the Eucharist together, enjoy annual hikes together, preparing meals together, etc. Regarding my personal life I try to incorporate focal things on a daily basis as reading a book or just taking walk around the Dupont area. Also I try to incorporate focal things and practices with people who I have relationships with or trying to establish relationships. Usually in planning activities together I try to intersperse the use of restaurants, television and movies with focal things as the theatre, baseball games, or preparing a meal together. Focal things and practices have become a very important part of my life.

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