Like never before, technology is a part of our lives. We now carry along with us the ability to watch breaking news from around the world, see our friends pictures, a family member’s pet or share pictures of our culinary adventures on Instagram. While technology is incredible, it can be both of good and Bad
The Advantage
The printing press is a kid when being compared to Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. The Truth can be transmitted to hundreds, thousands, even millions, instantaneously and sadly can a lot of evil things be transmitted too.
The Disadvantage
Of course, social media can also turn one into a zombie and cause them to miss the most beautiful moments in life. A perfect example, is when you are totally engrossed in your chart that you forget you have your food cooking and it’s already bunning! Social media can cause you to miss the most important thing of all – fellow human beigns, made in the image of God.
It is interesting to note that meals were initially an opportunity of communion and close sharing between friends and family, and that was one reason why Our Lord instituted the Mass during a meal. Meals were a unique opportunity to talk and to communicate, to share ourselves over food.
On the contrary, today, meals are anything but an intimate moment. They are an excuse to take pictures of your food and share them online, an opportunity to check your newsfeed, or LOL at someone’s meme.
Take a walk to any restaurant and you will see couples, friends, and entire families staring at small flickering screens rather than each other. You might even be doing it now!
The Solution
It is one thing to complain about how distracted everyone is, and it is another to fight distraction in your own life. God brought us into the world for a distinct purpose, and he has called us to be saints, but no one ever became a saint by staring at his phone.
Here are three simple rules for being a gentleman with technology:
Never ignore other people
If other people are with you, give the gift of your attention. Avoid playing on your phone. If you have to, switch it off or turn it to silent. Relationships are very important. Be present to the other person and attentive to their desires and needs. If you find it hard to pay attention to others which often is, offer it up as a sacrifice. Whatever you do, do not ignore another human being for a piece of technology, becuse they are an image bearer of God
Be present
If there was anything the saints were, they were aware. They were mindful of God’s presence, and were aware of God’s glory in the faces of others and in the beauty of nature. We should try to be so too. The heavens always declare the glory of God, just as every blade of grass, but if you are too busy worrying about what you are missing on Facebook, you are going to miss out on countless graces from God. At best, you will be a mediocre Christian who might get to heaven, but you certainly would not be a saint. Do not miss the glories of a beautiful day, or drown the calm voice of the Holy Spirit with notification sounds.
Be in control
Technology should never be a master over us, rather we must be the master of it . This should be true for anything in life, most especially for those things that draw our attention away from Christ and others.
If you have to, be radical about it. If facebook or twitter is consuming your life, take a fast at least for Lent. Jesus said, “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.” If anything is keeping you from what is truly important, pluck it out.
Never stop fighting the pull to distraction. Determine, choose, to keep it under control. Technology isn’t going away any time soon. If anything, it is becoming more deeply ingrained our lives every day.
Quick Questions:
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- To you, what technology do you find most distracting?
- How do you fight these distractions in your life? Please leave your answers in the comments. Let’s share our thoughts!
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