The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction

Written by Jamie Kreiner

Narrated by Jamie Kreiner

The digital era is beset by distraction, and it feels like things are only getting worse. At times like these, the distant past beckons as a golden age of attention. We dream of recapturing the quiet of a world with less noise. We imagine retreating into solitude and singlemindedness, almost like latter-day monks.

But although we think of early monks as master concentrators, a life of mindfulness did not, in fact, come to them easily. As historian Jamie Kreiner demonstrates in The Wandering Mind, their attempts to stretch the mind out to God-to continuously contemplate the divine order and its ethical requirements-were all-consuming, and their battles against distraction were never-ending. Delving into the experiences of early Christian monks, Kreiner shows that these men and women were obsessed with distraction in ways that seem remarkably modern.

Drawing on a trove of sources that the monks left behind, Kreiner reconstructs the techniques they devised in their lifelong quest to master their minds. She captures the fleeting moments of pure attentiveness that some monks managed to grasp, and the many times when monks struggled and failed and went back to the drawing board. Blending history and psychology, The Wandering Mind is a witty, illuminating account of human fallibility and ingenuity that bridges a distant era and our own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ascent Audio
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781663726360

Reviews for The Wandering Mind

[thecriticaltimes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I haven't read a lot of history non-fiction books that were as thoroughly engaging as this one. I learned a thing or two about how the mind works, I even have some hints as to how to apply it myself and I learned a lot of surprising things about monastic life I didn't know. Most importantly, the prose is written in both a lighthearted way as well as in an in-depth manner. I found myself laughing at some of the passages and observations, a novel sensation for what could be considered a history book. What I was most pleased about was what the book was lacking. There was no opening chapter where the author goes through her biography explaining how she worked so hard (was so lucky) to get a PhD or how all of the little events in her life lead up to this one book. None of that, nun. Instead the author treated us, the audience, with respect and gave us exactly what we were hoping to find in this work, something educational, entertaining and often inspiring.There are many other aspects I could highlight that makes this book stand out in a positive way. For example, it is surprisingly and pleasantly gender-neutral. It treats its subjects, its material, as well as its readers, with respect even when minor ridicule would be justified. I highly recommend picking this up and giving it a light read, until the moment you're stuck in it that is.