It was a desperate measure on the part of a diminutive
widowed mother of six who felt ignored and powerless over the enemy that held
her children captive. Standing as fully as she could in front of the TV screen,
blocking its view, was her last effort to engage her unresponsive offspring!
(Actually, Mom threatened an act of violence that would permanently destroy the
distractor, if her words were not heeded. And she had a flare for the
dramatic!)
Now, almost five decades later, I'm the Mom. New
generation—new technology— new threat! When my twenty-something children are
home, a variety of screens vie for Katherine and Davy's time and attention.
Fresh stats illuminate a distressing social phenomenon: The
average person checks their phone 214 times a day, spending 3 hours, 16 minutes
staring at those screens every day!
Psychologists say the compulsion is driven by "a fear of
missing out" on what everyone is up to. Amazingly, this news report was
delivered with video of a man on the prow of his sail boat, busily texting
while a pod of humpback whales began to breech right beside him. He missed
out! Real life passed him by while he was glued to his smartphone. Not so
smart!
Don't think me a technophobe. On a typical Saturday
morning, my daughter will join us via Skype from Uganda where she is doing an
internship, and before breakfast is over, we have had a FaceTime visit with my
son at university via my husband Richard's iPhone. These modern devices can be
marvelous indeed!
Behind
all the pings, ringtones and text tones are real, valued individuals. But
doesn't it seem as if the whole world is looking down and disconnected from
their surroundings much of the time?
Do you know that bad posture due to texting and
mobile phone use can lower your life expectancy?
Now that I have your attention…
Jesus reminded us that our main purpose in life is to
engage—vertically and horizontally. The "Royal Law" says,
"‘…you must love the Lord your God with all
your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is
equally important; ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.' No other commandment is
greater than these." Mark 12: 30, 31 NLT
Contrast the Lord's command with the August 8, 2014 Maclean's
magazine cover declaration:
"The modern definition of a good neighbour is
someone who keeps their distance."
In his troubling article, The End of Neighbours, Brian
Bethune says,
"New research shows how our increasingly closed
off lives are endangering our health. More than 30% of Canadians now say they
feel disconnected from their neighbours, while half of Americans say they don't
know the names of theirs…A recent poll of 2,000 Britons found a third couldn't
pick their near neighbours out of a police lineup."
It's not funny.
Humans
need face-to-face contact as we need air and water! Community is God's design!
Developmental psychologist, Susan Pinker makes this appeal…
"More touching, less screen time. Devices are
almost useless for showing emotional support. We need to focus on human
interactions and build them into our day. It affects our health, happiness and
learning—into the future."
She has further incentive for us all…
"Those surrounded by a tight-knit group of
friends who regularly eat, talk and share their lives, live an average of 15
years longer than loners. Research shows it fortifies immune systems,
calibrates hormones and increases chances of surviving heart attacks, strokes,
AIDS and cancer."
These insights became celebrated truth in the last few
years after an embittered viewer of 100 Huntley Street sent me a nasty
email. I chose to engage a lonely woman who has endured many disappointments
and hardships in life. After a number of email exchanges, including an apology,
she invited me to her apartment for tea. What memories we have made since, and
how we have mutually been enriched by our friendship. If I hadn't leaned into
the relationship with love, I would have missed out!
I can heartily endorse Pastor Bruxy Cavey's counsel from
his series "CROSSING THE LINE: A Scandalous Love That Can Change the World"…
"If you don't like someone, love them. When
love leads our actions, we will find ourselves in a better place to like the
people we love."
That's why my passion is to tell the stories of Jesus and
His love, to and through people, to a world that desperately needs to engage
Him!
"Don't just pretend to love others. Really love
them…love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each
other." Romans 12: 9, 10 NLT
