Technology

I think the technology we have is fascinating.  Everything you ever needed or wanted to know can be found in an instant in the palm of your hand.  What I find troublesome, however, is the overabundant use of technology.  If we're not careful, it can run our lives and determine how we spend our day.  We can come to depend too much on technology rather than our own common sense, instincts and observations.  For example, I was with someone who cancelled an outdoor activity because her phone told her it was raining.  There wasn't a drop in sight. 

We're too cut off from nature because we are too busy texting or reading the latest posts and comments.  Do we notice our surroundings or are we too focused on the thing in our hand? 

There's also no privacy anymore or anything left untyped or unread.  Is it all necessary? 

I'm certainly not against technology, but I'm against how it's used and how obsessed or addicted people become. 

Sitting in silence, even for a few minutes, is a foreign concept because every minute is spent checking for updates.  How about sitting in silence and listening to what God is trying to say?  I wouldn't want a  friend who talked all the time and then said good-bye before I could get a word in edgewise.  God's the same way.  We don't want to be reading or saying prayers the whole time.  The prayers can be spontaneous, come from a book, phone, or iPad, but then put the device down and give God a chance to respond.  If we always have some kind of technological device in our hand, it would be difficult (at least for me) to hear what God is saying. 

Try 5 minutes a day of silence.  It may, at first, feel like an eternity, especially if you're used to always doing something.  After a few weeks, increase the time to 10 minutes a day.  Eventually, work up to 20.  If you relapse, go back to 5 and try again.  During this time, leave the phone off, forget about facebook, and don't worry about your next move in a game or any texts. 

Technology has changed the world we live in and so has silence.  Let's make sure we can still hear the silence amidst all the technology.