Hello, all!
I realize it's been a while since I last posted, but life has been crazy lately. There is something swirling around in my head that I thought I should jot down, though. Today in chapel (about 10 minutes ago, actually) the speaker addressed the concept of technology and its effect on us as people and as Christians. The two points technology makes, he said, are that it offers efficiency and minimizes the importance of location. Basically, his point was this: technology offers to make us more efficient. Commercials talk about how having X product will increase your productivity and allow you to multiply yourself and accomplish more. In reality, that's not possible. There is no way to multiply my efficiency and my concentration; rather, multitasking with technology just divides my attention and reduces how much I'm actually learning and retaining, even if I am getting more "done". Also, technology removes us from ourselves and makes it so that we are not "restricted by something as trivial as location" (quoted from a commercial shown). In the commercial, a little boy is shown watching his favorite TV character (a penguin) in his kitchen, then in the car, then on a handheld device in his stroller in the mall. The next scene shows the little boy actually meeting the character in person at the mall, with no mediation, and the little boy panics and can't handle it. The mom then puts the boy back in the stroller, gives him his handheld version of the show, and he's happy. What does this say about our society? It shows us just how restricting technology is! We lose our ability to connect to people face to face! How can we solve problems over text or through email when we can't see the other person? Can't actively listen and feel what they feel? Can't express true emotion or clarify? How can we solve problems or communicate effectively when the key ingredients of good communication are lost?
We all know how it feels to be upset. Sometimes we are angry, frustrated, depressed - and we just want to be alone. But sometimes, possibly even more heartbreaking, is to feel alone, down, distraught, helpless, empty, and to have that feeling of, "I just don't want to be alone right now." Sometimes we just need someone to BE there. To be PRESENT and exist right there, right then, by our side. We may not be at a point where we need them to say anything, really, we just need to have someone PRESENT. How can sending a "heard bout ur mom, hope u feel bettr" text really comfort anyone? How can an apology truly be given in an email? Maybe this is why God gave us bodies. As the speaker said, God didn't just create millions of floating, spiritual beings. He created spiritual beings with physical constraints. We cannot be in more than one place at one time, and that is a good thing. Sometimes we NEED to slow down, put down our cell phones, and just be present! From a Christian perspective, this is even more crucial. The "efficiency" technology supposedly offers us counteracts the basic, most fundamental aspects of Christianity. Love. Faith. Peace. Joy. Suffering. Selflessness. How can any of these things be efficient? How can we truly love others or be joyful or suffer in an efficient way? How can we be efficiently selfless? We can't! These are values that cannot be constricted and compartmentalized to fit our schedules. How beautiful is it when you sit down and just have a long, real conversation, face to face, with a good friend? When you can see their eyes, watch their reactions. You can lean in and listen when they speak, and hug their neck or slap their arm in reaction to their words. How can we do that with emoticons and the little *hits arm* things? There is no form of communication that can compare to physical presence and face-to-face, real love and time.
I realize that we can't always be right next to someone all the time. Technology can facilitate communication! (Lord knows I can't live without my smart phone). But maybe we should look at how we wield our technology and really pay attention to how it shapes us as people and as followers of Jesus.
