단편#11 Max and Leo
몰입의 힘 (The Magic of Focus)
오늘은 Max 와 Leo 라는 두 토끼의 이야기를 통해, 스마트폰의 위험성과, 몰입 · 집중의 힘을 표현해 보았다.
아이디어를 준 책은 칼 뉴포트의 『Deep Work』 이다.
주제는 몰입과 집중력의 힘이다. 디지털 매체의 유혹이 넘쳐나는 요즘 시대에 읽어볼 필요가 있는 책이다. 현대인은 산만함에 중독되어 있어 생산성이 자꾸 떨어지는데, 깊은 작업을 통해서 평범한 사람도 비범한 결과를 낼 수 있다는 내용이 들어 있다. 이 내용에 착안해서 영어동화를 만들어 보았다.
동화를 만들면서도(이미지를 생성하는 시간에도) 그 새를 못참고 휴대폰을 들여다 보는 내가 떳떳하게 소개할 내용은 아니지만... 성인도 이겨내기 힘든 디지털 중독의 위협에서, 우리 아이들이 조금이라도 영향을 덜 받기를 바라는 마음이다.
Max and Leo: The Magic of Focus
Once upon a time, in a cozy little bunny village, there lived two bunny brothers named Max and Leo.
Max had fluffy white fur and loved to bounce around looking for fun. Leo, a bit taller with soft gray ears, liked to think and build things.
The two bunnies had lots in common — they both loved crunchy carrots, sparkly treasures, and most of all... shiny, glowing smartphones!
They liked to watch videos of silly squirrels, play bouncy games, and scroll through pictures of faraway lands.
Max loved his phone so much, he almost never put it down.
He tapped and swiped all day long — even when he was supposed to be eating his lunch! His carrots sat cold on the plate while he watched cartoons with wide, blinking eyes.
Leo liked his phone too, but he used it a little differently.
When it was time to build, read, or help around the house, he gently set his phone aside. "It’ll be there later," he’d say with a smile.
One sunny morning, Max hopped over with his phone in his paw.
"Leo, come play this new game with me! It’s got flying donuts!"
Leo looked up from his blocks. "Not now, Max. I’m building the tallest tower ever!"
His little paws carefully stacked block after block... higher and higher... until — whoa! — the top one almost touched the ceiling!
Max gasped. "Wow!"
Leo laughed. "That’s the magic of focus!"
Seasons changed. Leaves turned gold, snow fell, and flowers bloomed again.
Max still spent most of his days tapping and scrolling. He played games at breakfast, during chores, and even before bedtime.
Leo had fun too — he still liked his phone — but when it was time to learn or help out, he gave all his attention to the task.
He listened carefully in school, practiced new things, and tried hard to do his best.
Many years later, Max and Leo were all grown up.
They both worked at the same big, bustling company, full of screens and ideas.
Max was still checking his phone all the time. Ding! Buzz! Swipe!
He’d start a task, then stop to look at a message... and sometimes forget what he was doing.
But Leo? He stayed focused like a flashlight in a dark room.
No buzzing, no tapping — just quiet thinking and careful work.
Because Leo focused so well, he kept getting better and better at solving tricky problems.
He thought up smart ways to help his team, and he was always calm, even when things got busy.
One day, his boss said, "Leo, you have great ideas. Would you like to lead your own team?"
Leo nodded, and before long… he started his own company!
One afternoon, Max came to visit Leo at his shiny new office.
He looked around with wide eyes. "Wow, Leo! How did you do all this?"
Leo smiled kindly and said,
"It wasn’t magic. I just learned to focus. I turned off distractions and gave all my heart to my work."
Max nodded slowly. He had never really thought about that before.
Now, Leo visits schools and teaches little bunnies everywhere:
"Phones are fun," he says, "but too much screen time can make your brain feel fuzzy."
"Your brain is strong — like a superhero’s!"
"When you focus, amazing things can happen. That’s the real magic."
And Max? He’s learning to focus too, one hop at a time.
