RIGHTEOUS RESISTANCE: September 2009

More encroaching technology

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/147827;_ylt=AjykTuMzpy8OjdNDVBQvjXc8MZA5

I'm all for safety while driving, but where do we draw the line?

Been pondering on this for years

A few years back, I watched a sci-fi series where one of the weekly programs featured the very issue noted in this article: the kids in this scenario grew up practically attached to video games and computers, so dealing with anything IRL (in real life) was extremely foreign to them; in fact, those human being they might come in contact with (i.e., the "away team" on the program) were treated as if they were mere objects, ala someone might with autism.

Since then, I've been thinking this same thing, that technology, for all its plusses, cuts us off from humanity, from feelings, and from emotions, reducing our interaction to, as stated in the article, "twitchy, impersonal, and detached form(s) of communication." We lack the depths and richness of real strong human bonds that generations before us formed so effortlessly. My parents still get together with friends from their high school days, and my grandparents before them, stayed friends with some folsk for upwards of 75 or more years!

This is something that I myself strive to stay on top of in my own life. I've never been one to get too close to people, and I am uncomfortable when in a situation where I am "forced" to be conversant. I have a very small cadre of good friends, but have never really formed many deep and lasting relationships. Ergo, I am still single at nearly 50!

Many times, I'd rather just quietly fade into the background. Technology (in the form of my computer and iPhone) gives me an opportunity to indulge my anti-social quirks. It's even been speculated that Bill Gates himself suffers from something along the autism spectrum, as he is renowned for his own anti-social quirks and behaviors.

However, as a Christian, I struggle to remain "real in the real world," and not to be sidetracked by the inanimate, especially since Christ commanded of us to "…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." If that doesn't take an act of real humanity, I don't know what does.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/148087;_ylt=AntJI7g__2AOZeNfAQGgJT08MZA5