Dear Sir/Madam,

The Lure of Data: Is It Addictive? (NYT, July 6)

Most people, it seems, have a chronic need for distraction from simply relaxing and experiencing the here and now. Television is the Big Distracter, of course, but work and the gadgets which facilitate modern communication also do a good job, with the added benefit of justifying it.

Its most serious manifestation is workaholism, which goes largely unrecognised, particularly by workaholics themselves (including many newspaper editors), who see it as a strength and virtue, which they are proud of and encourage others to emulate.

Unable to relax in the here and now, we fail to appreciate essential aspects of what is really going on; most importantly, that our economy and lifestyle aspirations (i.e. the American way of life) are non-sustainable on a planet which will soon have 7-9 billion human inhabitants, but has only limited natural resources and a finite carrying capacity.

Like a human liver, our planet's vital organs also can tolerate only so much abuse!