My friend Margaret sent me this video after my post last week about my obsession with my cell phone. He's talking about the effect that media culture has on our souls.
As if to prove his point, about half-way through this really thoughtful and engaging 8-minute clip, I started to write an e-mail. Oh, the irony.
Check it out, stick with it, it's not bad...for a Wheaton guy.
Okay, after a couple of failed attempts at my first post with a video embeded, I'm realizing that I don't really know what the crap I'm doing and I'll have to get some help. Either I'm doing something wrong or it's just not working.
Sorry, here's the link, maybe one of you can help me figure out how to actually put it here in the body of my post: No Attention Span Needed
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Trouble with Blogging (and Your Status)
So the problem for the glut of us bloggers out there and the glut plus a million of you Facebook users is this: you begin to live your life through the lens of your blog post or your Facebook status.
No longer are you actually present to the events as they unfold--say, a nice day with your kids or an afternoon throwing the frisbee on the quad. You are constantly evaluating: would this make for a cool blog post? How might I make this sound like a cool Facebook status update?
This perpetual evaluation of our lives based on how we might "spin" it into something public as a part of our persona or image is particularly alluring for those of us who are tempted to live for the applause and approval of others anyway. Facebook is crack for us people-pleasers. If you're a people-pleaser and you haven't recognized this yet, good chance you're already in need of intervention.
That doesn't mean we should avoid blogging or Facebook altogether. But it does mean that we must be vigilant to guard against the insidious ways it might hijack our lives. First step: admit the problem.
Many thoughtful saints through the ages have urged us to live our lives for an audience of One. I am instead perpetually tempted to live my life for the audience of my 615 Facebook friends and those of you who read Piebald Life.
Fasting is a biblical way that God invites us to enter into spiritual, emotional, and physical maturity. When our stomach is not our god, when we are free from even the most basic drives and urges in our lives that speak so loudly to us, then we are free to live a real life indeed.
In my case, I will sometimes fast from the activity itself (i.e. stay off Facebook, not blog on the weekends). But I will also make intentional decisions to fast from my ideas that I want to use on Facebook/the blog.
In other words, occasionally I'll catch myself framing up an experience or thought for a blog post or Facebook status update and I'll realize that it's inappropriate: either I'm still in the moment and need to enjoy it rather than try to package it, or it's after the moment but it's too precious or important to pimp out. So I'll fast from using that particular update or post idea, just to make sure that I'm running my thoughts and not having my thoughts run me.
No longer are you actually present to the events as they unfold--say, a nice day with your kids or an afternoon throwing the frisbee on the quad. You are constantly evaluating: would this make for a cool blog post? How might I make this sound like a cool Facebook status update?
This perpetual evaluation of our lives based on how we might "spin" it into something public as a part of our persona or image is particularly alluring for those of us who are tempted to live for the applause and approval of others anyway. Facebook is crack for us people-pleasers. If you're a people-pleaser and you haven't recognized this yet, good chance you're already in need of intervention.
That doesn't mean we should avoid blogging or Facebook altogether. But it does mean that we must be vigilant to guard against the insidious ways it might hijack our lives. First step: admit the problem.
Many thoughtful saints through the ages have urged us to live our lives for an audience of One. I am instead perpetually tempted to live my life for the audience of my 615 Facebook friends and those of you who read Piebald Life.
Fasting is a biblical way that God invites us to enter into spiritual, emotional, and physical maturity. When our stomach is not our god, when we are free from even the most basic drives and urges in our lives that speak so loudly to us, then we are free to live a real life indeed.
In my case, I will sometimes fast from the activity itself (i.e. stay off Facebook, not blog on the weekends). But I will also make intentional decisions to fast from my ideas that I want to use on Facebook/the blog.
In other words, occasionally I'll catch myself framing up an experience or thought for a blog post or Facebook status update and I'll realize that it's inappropriate: either I'm still in the moment and need to enjoy it rather than try to package it, or it's after the moment but it's too precious or important to pimp out. So I'll fast from using that particular update or post idea, just to make sure that I'm running my thoughts and not having my thoughts run me.
Friday, May 02, 2008
James v. Itunes
Yesterday I was working feverishly behind my computer screen writing talks and organizing year-end stuff. And so, of course, I had my Itunes MP-3 player on shuffle all day long.
One particular song transition in the shuffle was a bit jarring: going from Handel's Hallelujah Chorus (downloaded this past Christmas) to Kanye West's "Gold Digger" (downloaded in a moment of weakness last fall).
The movement from worship to frivolity coming out of the same speakers within seconds of one another reminded me of a favorite passage in James 2:
One particular song transition in the shuffle was a bit jarring: going from Handel's Hallelujah Chorus (downloaded this past Christmas) to Kanye West's "Gold Digger" (downloaded in a moment of weakness last fall).
The movement from worship to frivolity coming out of the same speakers within seconds of one another reminded me of a favorite passage in James 2:
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.So I'm thinking that James probably wouldn't be a big fan of my Itunes playlist...at least when it's on shuffle.
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