The New American Family: Digitally Overloaded
As I've mentioned before, Dr. Al Mohler's blog is well worth the read. His latest article unpacks chilling new research on how brains, emotions, behavior, and inevitably relationships are adversely affected by constant, unrelenting digital stimulation.
The change in human experience is so vast that Adam Gazzaley of the University of California, San Francisco, names it one of the most significant shifts ever experienced in the history of humanity — and one with inevitable consequences.
But the question that stopped me in my tracks was this: "Has the high-speed Internet made you impatient with slow-speed children?" It was a revealing exercise to rehearse my own use of digital gadgets and reflect on how it might be affecting my expectations in relationships. I would strongly encourage you to read it, and then examine the practices and habits both in your own life and what you allow in the lives of your children.
He sums up the article as follows:
The answer is not to throw away all the digital gadgets. The information revolution is here to stay, and it comes with great gifts as well as tremendous temptations. Christians are not called to be modern-day Luddites, smashing digital devices with sledgehammers. But we are called to be faithful stewards of digital opportunities, even as we are also called to be faithful in all our relationships. That second stewardship is surely of greater importance than the first.
This stewardship will require clear boundaries, honest self-knowledge, and authentic accountability. Otherwise, you may well end up spending more time with your digital devices than with the people you love. Count on this . . . they will notice.
(Email Subscribers click through for links to this article)
Comments for this post have been disabled
