C.S. Lewis said that the most effective people in this world are the ones who think most of the next. By fasting from media, I feel like I have thought more from an eternity perspective than ever before. The reason for this is that when I engross myself in the things of this world (right now, all the politics and political ads surrounding this election- bleh) I start to get shortsighted and my focus on eternity lessens. Not having been bombarded by the things in this world that are SCREAMING for my attention- advertising, headlines, political ads, the newest tv show, the newest product, the newest cool-thing-that-will-be-totally-uncool-in-two-months, I have been free to focus on what is truly important.
It truly saddens me that people who have been saved from an eternity in hell, who have accepted this amazing gift of grace from God, who call Jesus Lord and Savior, have such a trouble giving up this distraction. In both of my small groups, one more so than the other, there were people who were so utterly resistant to the prospect of fasting from media that they started to get angry. The very suggestion that they turn off the iPod, the TV, the internet (and sit in silence, study the Bible, pray) was so utterly offensive to them that they could scarcely fathom it.
Why is our culture so afraid of silence? Why is the worst thing in this world, a fate worse than death, boredom? (And by "boredom" I mean the prospect of not being entertained every second of the day). Why do we have to be surrounded by noise, distractions, sound, flashing screens? Is it because if we were to truly sit in silence, truly turn off the distractions, we would come face to face with God? Is that a prospect that is too much for us? Or is it that we are afraid that we would come face-to-face, not with God, but with ourselves? Are we afraid to truly look at ourselves because we don't like what we see, we aren't who we know we should be, and we aren't following our calling and passion like we should be?
We can drown out God by turning up the TV. We can drown out our calling by cranking up the iPod. We can insulate ourselves from the needs of this world (that we are equipped and called to respond to) by clicking the remote. And we can do it all in the name of Christianity. We can crank up Air1, satisfying ourselves that we are listening to "Christian" music, all the while ignoring the God who the singers are singing about. We can replace the real world with an artificial online one. We can replace real life and play it safe by living vicariously through paid actors on a screen. We can experience the thrill of victory, not by accomplishing something ourselves, but by identifying with our favorite sports teams and watching them for hours a day.
I guess what this media fast is all about is about focus. Focus requires elimination. If I am truly going to live this awesome adventure known as the Christian life, I don't have time for artificiality. I can't afford to drown out God. I can't afford to live vicariously through actors on a tv. I have to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I have a calling. After all, I am a Christian.
Great post! Great inquiries - and such truth.
ReplyDeleteChristianity Today recently did a blog post regarding technology addictions (http://blog.christianitytoday.com/women/2010/11/social_media_addict_seeks_conn.html) - I really like this quote:
"When God created man to desire companionship, he didn’t take a rib and turn it into a Wi-fi signal. He took Adam’s rib and turned it into a living, breathing creature who could hug, touch, comfort, and even intuit emotion in its fellow inhabitants. I don’t think that means God frowns on technology like computers or phones. Social media facilitate most of our relationships and can even deepen some of them. But God’s intentions for humans call us to be purposeful about preserving face-to-face relationships — and stopping virtual addictions before they start."