Writing this post presumes that 1. when completed, it will fly through cyberspace at previously unimagined speed, 2. appear in the inboxes of all subscribers, and 3. actually be read, perhaps even by some who randomly arrive at beWARM.
All of these results are in sharp contrast to my thoughts this morning.
Oh yes, I am certainly LinkedIn – and for the most part, loving the constant information/communication stream that connects me to friends, family, and the world-at-large.
And, shouldn’t it make my day when I receive yet another notice of 30% off and free shipping from my favorite online merchant?
But when I reach for my mobile device to check for new messages – for the 15th time of the day – I begin to wonder what – or who – is running my life.
Making a sacrifice during Lent was a given during grade school. Usually it amounted to not eating something I loved for six weeks; most often it was the candy I loved so much. Later on, I vowed to refrain from crunchy potato chips (still a temptation). Taking away my daily coffee was more than I could handle. even if I was allowed to go “off the wagon” on Sundays.
The fact is, if I rated the aforementioned in terms of how much of daily space they eat up (no pun intended), all would pale by comparison to my Technology Time.
So what would happen if I turned away from the god of Instant Messages, even for a day? My fingers itch at the thought of being held back from their texting keyboard.
All kidding aside…I do have serious concerns about my/our dependence on devices for our daily existence. And, at the risk of sounding ancient, many times I long for the old days when you only answered the phone if you were at home.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, entitled Your Blackberry or Your Wife, chronicles a Mom who announced that there would be a one week moratorium on electronic devices for entertainment in their home. (They could only be used for work and homework.) Interesting cultural commentary…and thought-provoking results of family life “unplugged”. A courageous woman, she.
(I should mention that, when I read the title of the article to Joey, he immediately responded, “or your husband”. ) Hmmmm…more food for thought…
Dare I take the plunge? Do I have what it takes to disconnect, even for one day a week?
If I did, I would bet that 1. the untwittered silence would be quite refreshing, 2. I would survive!, and 3. my decluttered mind would have some freespace for prayer, thinking, or…just celebrating the quiet.
I think that Sunday would be the optimal day of the week to try this out. And if you should need to reach me, our home phone still works…
beWARM 
I’m so glad that you talked about this in your post today. I feel like I’m even becoming increasingly stodgy as I comment negatively on the fact that so many of my students come into the classroom with their faces buried in their smartphones (and how many of them have more advanced phones than me!) and would rather text their friends or check Facebook than talk to the person sitting next to them. It makes me so sad that students would rather listen to their iPods or talk on their phones as they walk to and from classes than look at (or “check out,”) the other students that are walking with or toward them. Admittedly, I’m not sure if I could distance myself from technology for long, either…but I’d be willing to try!
XOXO
Toni … this is absolutely one of the best reflections ever. Wish it could be sent to the SF New Mexican, the NY Times, and every newspaper around our country. Some of my sister-friends in community are so addicted … in my humble opinion … to their phones. Sometimes when I am with two of them in particular, I want to shout: “Shut that thing off! Don’t you SEE me here?” The sad thing is, they honestly do not. We have become a society that expects instant presence, instant answers, instant everything. What happened to letting the seed germinate? What happened to the idea of gestation? What happened to contemplative presence? I applaud your desire to unplug … for a week … a day …even an hour! It would be the best Lenten practice for many of us, I think. Maybe we all should be asking ourselves what practices create SACRED SPACE for our souls! Love you, Toni, for posting this.
It would be wonderful if creating Sacred Space could become a high priority for our society. That would also help us to appreciate the value of being able to *wait …to have patience*… *to enjoy calm silence, free of distraction…. *a much needed antidote for our hectic lives!
Great idea! I think unplugging is SUCH a valuable thing to do regularly. I am sure it’s hard, but wow what a treat. I may try it myself! Now only if i can pull Eric away from that brand new IPad that is taking over his evenings…:)
Wild and crazy, Toni!!! (Just kidding.)
Amen.
Replace with Insta-prayers?
Praying 15 times a day for 5 minutes.
More than an hour!
Tx for the wonderful suggestion!
xxMary Jane
Wow! “Insta-Prayers”! I like that! Keeps us in constant communication with The One who matters most….