This article is part 1 of my series: “Sacred Living in a Distracted Age,” a journey back to presence, barakah, and God in a world that constantly pulls us away.

We are living in an unprecedented age of constant productivity, endless stimulation, and convenience at our fingertips. Yet despite all this “progress,” our physical, emotional, and spiritual health is quietly declining before our eyes.

Today, everyone is busy: busy studying, busy working, busy keeping up a home, busy chasing goals.
Busy, busy, busy.
And despite all this movement, we have never been more stagnant and unfulfilled.

Here lies the irony: we live in the most convenient time in human history. Tasks that once took hours or days can now be done in minutes, yet we are sinking deeper into exhaustion and busyness. Convenience was supposed to free us but instead, it has consumed us.

In the past, life required more physical effort, people walked further, cooked from scratch, fetched water, and worked with their hands. But they also made time for worship, family, neighbours, and community. Their priorities were clearer. Their wants were simpler. They took what was necessary and did not feel the need to accumulate endless possessions.

People lived with contentment, aware that becoming richer was not the gateway to real peace. They worked hard, but not with the illusion that grinding today guarantees rest tomorrow because tomorrow was never promised.

To be clear, a strong work ethic is a noble quality. It is the backbone of personal growth and success. But when we exhaust ourselves chasing material happiness a form of happiness that doesn’t truly exist we drain our spirits and become shells of ourselves.

We have become like machines: wake up, check tasks off the list, sleep, repeat. We move, but without presence. We work, but without soul. It is no wonder that modern society faces rising rates of burnout, chronic stress, loneliness, metabolic diseases, and fatigue. While not all of these issues are new, they have certainly become more widespread in fast-paced, sedentary, hyper-connected lifestyles.

Our ancestors lived differently. Their daily routines naturally encouraged movement, human connection, and purposeful living. They gathered, shared meals, relied on one another, used their bodies, and spent time outdoors. Their work, though harder physically, aligned with the rhythms of life and not against them.

Today, we outsource everything: cooking, cleaning, moving our bodies, thinking deeply, even entertainment socialisation. We eat foods engineered for taste rather than nourishment. We binge content rather than engage with people. And ironically, despite having machines to do nearly everything for us, we are “busier” than ever.

Many of us struggle to find time for worship, for family, for neighbours, or community gatherings. The modern world pushes us into individualism. Everyone is in their own bubble, pursuing financial freedom in a capitalist system that thrives on keeping people in the rat race until their final breath.

We now live in a society where self-preservation overrides collective compassion. Productivity is praised; vulnerability is dismissed. The strong are valued; the struggling are overlooked. We move past suffering without feeling it, and sometimes even blame individuals for circumstances shaped by systemic pressures.

A dear teacher of mine once said something profound:

“People now have to go to the gym to burn the calories they naturally burned in daily life before. We now have to ‘build muscle’ artificially, when strength used to be a natural outcome of kneading dough, washing clothes, hunting, carrying water, grinding wheat, and walking long distances.”

In the past, fitness and strength were not activities, they were a by-product of living.

People ate real food, ate what was sufficient, and did not have constant access to food. Fasting happened naturally. Hunger was familiar, not feared.

Contrast that with today: we have refrigerators full of food, cupboards overflowing, yet many of us still order meals with instant delivery without moving a single step. We replaced walking with car/buses such that we’re taking least amount of steps to get around. Modern technology, while a blessing, has also removed the natural movement and boundaries that once kept us healthy.

And so the gym has emerged; not as a luxury, but as a compensation for all the natural activity our lifestyles have erased.

So, is there a solution to all of this?

Absolutely.

But it begins with awareness, intention, and a willingness to step outside the noise of modern life.

This is Part 1of my series; ‘Sacred Living in a Distracted Age’. Follow along as I’ll be sharing how smartphone became both a blessing and a test in my life and why I long for a simpler world.

Until next time..

Peace be with you.