In this conversation at the India Today Conclave 2026, author Pico Iyer explains why he avoids carrying a mobile phone, saying, ‘I don’t want my attention to be cut up into a thousand fragments’. He describes stillness as central to his life and writing, and argues that travel becomes meaningful only when there is time to process experience. Iyer recounts losing his house and possessions, including work on his next three books, in a wildfire, and says this led him to spend time in a Benedictine monastery. He reflects on how the pandemic functioned as an enforced pause that prompted many people to reconsider priorities. On technology and AI, he says technology can provide data but not reflection, and adds, ‘We can’t outsource our humanity and wisdom to technology’. He suggests practical steps such as spending 20 minutes each morning without devices and taking regular walks.
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