“Technology is best when it brings people together.”
Matt Mullenweg
Danish philosopher and theologian, Søren Kierkegaard, told a parable of a rich man riding in a lighted carriage driven by a peasant who sat behind the horse in the cold and dark outside. Unfortunately, because he sat near the artificial light inside the lit carriage, the rich man missed the panorama of beautiful stars outside, a view that was gloriously manifest to the peasant.
Technology, even something as simple as carriage lights, can rob us of the beauty of reality. Ours is a culture that thinks that it has everything, yet often misses so much. One of the joys of going someplace out of the way, even desolate, is that you can see things you wouldn’t normally see though they were there all along. What’s missing is perspective, being distracted, even blinded by technology.
Some years ago our family was vacationing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was out on a boat fishing in the middle of the lake late at night with a friend. As we looked up into the sky, I’d never seen so many stars. It was truly glorious! With the glare though of city lights of even small towns, those same stars are virtually invisible.
Like the rich man in the carriage, technology often blinds us to true beauty. Please understand, I’m not a Luddite. I’m very thankful for modern conveniences. Yet, I know that those same conveniences often blind me to real beauty. Technology is attractive…even addictive (at least it can be for me). I find that I have to discipline myself to not check my phone and focus on what’s going on around me.
In the past, when I was out with family or friends for a meal, I’d put my phone on the table. A friend pointed out that when the phone is on the table, the phone has priority over everyone and everything else. Since then, when I can, I try to remember to put it on silent and keep it in my pocket.
Yet, it’s very alluring to be connected on my phone with things that are thousands of miles away and miss what’s going on right in front of me. It’s tempting when a question comes up to immediately Google the answer on the computer that we can hold in our hand. It doesn’t help that with clocks on our phones, many no longer wear watches. While we plan to just check the time, the enticement of other eye-candy can be overly enticing. Without really thinking, we find that we’re also checking email, Facebook or Twitter. Before we know it, huge chunks of time are gone, we’re a million miles away, seduced by technology from what was the true priority.
Many of us miss out on life’s most precious moments because we’re so busy trying to capture them on our phones. 40% admit that they’ve not truly experienced moments, such as a child’s first steps or a graduation, because technology got in the way. The average adult says 16 hours is the longest he or she can be parted from their cell phone before feeling “miserable.” It’s not a big surprise that another 35% confess they spend too much on their cell, laptop or Ipad. If more of us were candidly honest, the percentage would no doubt be much higher.
Technology addiction can be a source of great humor or embarrassment. One woman who regularly went to sleep while using her iPad woke up one morning to find it at the bottom of the bed. Somehow it’d triggered camera mode and accidentally shot a sequence of blurred pictures that no one should ever see. Another man went on vacation in the country with his family and twisted his ankle after walking into a cow while texting. One in five has bumped into someone because they were so preoccupied with their hand-held device. One in ten has tripped or fallen while texting or walked into a pole or wall. Countless others regularly violate social etiquette by texting in the theater during a movie (24%), during a wedding (16%), and even in church (12%...just know our ushers are on alert 😊). 74% admit that their phone is never more than three feet away from them.
Now I’m not suggesting we all join a worldwide 12-step. For the believer, it begins with “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). A spirit of quietness and being unplugged is a needed starting point. As we see God and look at life from His perspective, all of the pieces begin to come together. Some other practical steps would be…
The rule of 3. Rather than jumping at the sound of every electronic notification, designate 3 times a day to check email and social media and limit the time you spend responding. It will give you uninterrupted blocks of time where you’re not disturbed by meaningless distractions.
Start your day technology free. Starting with your phone the first thing in the morning immediately flips you into work mode. Instead start your day with a quiet word of prayer and other things that are fulfilling like savoring coffee, reading the paper, cuddling with your child or spouse.
Set expectations by responding to texts or voicemails during reasonable hours. If you respond after 9:00 pm or on Saturday morning, others will believe you’re available anytime, 24/7, and will sabotage your downtime.
Give your phone a home to enforce healthy work/life boundaries. When you walk in the door, place your devices in a designated spot rather than carrying it into the dining room or bedroom or even having it tethered to your side. If it’s important for someone to get in touch with you, they’ll leave a text or voicemail that you can respond to at a more convenient time.
Make a point to do something non-tech related each day. Read a book. Walk outside. Play an instrument or even create something with your hands. Making it a habit to step away from technology and work, even for a few minutes, provides perspective and restoration.
God designed a need for rest into our very being. Ask any athlete and they’ll tell you that rest is essential for physical training. Rest is essential for soul rest and spiritual growth. If we don’t technologically untether ourselves and schedule rest into our lives, we’ll miss out on the vast panorama of beauty that our Heavenly Father has created for us to enjoy.
Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.
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