Tech Seduction

Tech seduction has us all distracted.

It’s been a long held belief of mine that the explosion of knowledge, experienced by tech seduction heralds the end times spoken of in the Bible.

Not to get into too much eschatology, but just as we see so many people talking about apocalyptic themes, the Bible is the original in doomsday thought. Zombies, terrorism, rampant plagues, scorching global heat, wars and rumors of wars are always part of the conversation.

We, especially in the US are so distracted by tech that family dinners are a thing of the past for most people. Even dining out has become another place where people are plugged into their devices to the exclusion of the other people around them. At this moment, I am typing this in the car. My husband is driving. My daughter is in the back seat on her smartphone. We haven’t spoken to one another for at least twenty minutes!

Science.

Tech keeps us from seeing what is in front of us. It is changing our brains, according to some fMRI studies. We have shorted attention spans. Our focus is harder to maintain. Our critical thinking skills may not be as sharp as those of previous generations. Think of the great writers and the great minds of past generations. They thought about what was happening in the world with deep reflection and contemplation the way few do today.

We have too much to keep track of. The amount of information can quickly overwhelm. Many of us do not remember what we had for lunch, let alone who authored the article we read yesterday or how to find it again. We are inundated with what celebrities are doing. Even when we try to get real news or facts about events or people, we are often distracted from pursuit with flashing story lines or enticing graphics that lead us away to sites unknown.

So, what?

Well, we are each individually gifted and placed on earth for a purpose. If we are so distracted, are we sure that we are following the right path to fulfill our destiny?

There are so many people in this world that need our gifts and talents. We are created to interact in a cross formation. He created us and wants to love us. He made everything according to the laws of nature. There is a reason and a process. The cross of Christ holds many very powerful lessons, but one I’d like to look at is the physical representation of relationships.

The vertical of the cross indicates that we are designed to have relationship with our heavenly Father. The horizontal indicates that we are to be in relationship with one another. God made us in His image, in His likeness. Which means, in part, that we are wired to love, that we are creative geniuses, that we are amazingly adept at things like language, music, art, and building -all was of interacting with our environment and one another.

If we are overly engaged in tech, we are not engaged with other people. Tech is so seductive. In a flash, we can be completely engrossed online. It draws us. It is a tool that may be used for good or for bad, like any other tool. It’s up to us to decide if we use it or if it uses us.

Choose, this day.

The Book of Joshua says to “Choose this day, whom you will serve. As for me and my house,” Joshua said, “We will serve the Lord. We also have a clear directive with a warning in Deuteronomy, where God says, “See, I have called heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day, that I have given you to choose between life and death, blessing or cursing. Therefore, choose life, that you and your descendants might live.”

We can do whatever we want. But that doesn’t mean no one is affected by what we do or do not do. Sorry about the double negative, there. Other people are always directly or indirectly affected by our decisions.

Often, I remind people that God created the world with various laws, like gravity and thermodynamics. We are given choice by the law of God. He told us to choose. He also tells us about what the choice means and what the consequences of our choices are -life or death, blessing or cursing.

Tech has no life of it’s own, for now. There are some who recognize more rights for technologically advanced robots than for humans. We decide how much time and effort we expend on technology. You and I each choose to our benefit or our detriment, and that of those around us.

Thoughts?

What influences you decision to indulge in technology?