Page 10 - September USA 2017 Mag - Complete
P. 10
opinion
ONE PROVEN WAY TO CONTROL
TECHNOLOGY OVERLOAD
BILL BLANKSCHAEN
Scripture admonishes us to “think on these things,” to “med- We find ourselves waiting in line with our children and, in-
itate day and night” on truth, and to “study to show our- stead of engaging them in conversation, we scroll to dis-
selves approved unto God.” And yet, the very technology cover the latest news.
that made it easier than ever to do so, can also make it Worse yet, we find the sermon dull so we open email to
harder than ever to do so—if we don’t control technology make sure we’re not missing something more important.
overload. Sometimes I think that if the rich, young ruler had come to
Jesus today, Jesus would have told him to sell all his technol-
Our easy access to information and connection creates ogy and give his smartphone to the poor.
an “always on” lifestyle that leaves little time for introspec-
tion, meditation, and the sort of intentional thinking required I suspect most of us would walk away saddened, googling
for intentional living with abundant faith. And, let’s face it, “alternate ways to heaven.” Let’s face it: technology has
we usually don’t control technology. We let it dictate to us made it easier to seem less dependent on God than ever
how we live out our faith. Oh, we don’t bow to it. We don’t before. When we didn’t have access to instant communi-
set out to structure our day around it. Yet that’s often what cation, we had no choice but to wait and to trust. Now a
happens. We reach for it as we roll out of bed and light tap of the finger can give us the sensation of doing some-
up the screen as our first contact with the world each day. thing substantive. It allows us to feel as if we are in control.
We have a moment to think or pray and we whip out our Even when, by becoming more enslaved to it, we’re losing
phones instead to surf social media. more control of our lives every day.
