Most of the
time, I love technology. I worked in a
high tech company for almost 15 years, and I still work with high end software
on a daily basis. Technology allows me
to do things today that I only dreamed of when I finished my graduate degree in
the mid-90’s.
But
sometimes, I wish we could go back to the “good ole days” – before everyone had
the internet – before e-mail and social media – before the 24-hour news
cycle. Sometimes, I wish I could turn it
all off because the constant stream of news and images and information and
opinions is overwhelming. It comes too
fast and it’s too much to process. There
isn’t time to think or ask questions or seek the truth. There’s barely enough time to react before
the next thing comes hurtling at you from 50 different directions.
We wonder
why so many people these days are stressed and anxious and depressed. I think the constant stream of information
has something to do with it. We know too
much. Once you see the images of
children being taken from their parents or the aftermath of a mass shooting or
the devastation from a natural disaster, you become responsible for “doing
something” with that information. But,
it’s too much for us to bear on our own.
The problems are big and complicated.
They don’t have simple solutions, yet we are compelled to try to help –
to make the world a better place. And,
we become frustrated and discouraged when it seems like nothing we are doing is
making a difference.
Add to that
the fact that everyone who has an opinion can now share it freely and openly on
social media. I believe we should have
that right, but we should use it responsibly.
Weren’t we all taught from a very young age that “if you can’t say
something nice, don’t say anything at all”? The battle of words often leaves a
trail of destruction that runs much deeper than any of us care to admit.
Think about
the young person who is trying to develop their own opinions on life and faith
and politics. Where does it leave them
when they see people that they love and respect line up on opposite sides of an
issue and tear each other down in a public forum (rather than working together
to find that common ground)? I’ll tell
you where it leaves them – It leaves them hurt and confused and wondering
whether truth even exists anymore. It
leaves them crying in their bedroom because the world is a crazy place and the
people who are supposed to be guiding them through this journey are too busy
fighting to come together and lead.
There’s a
part of me that wants to turn it all off and close my eyes and check out of the
conversation. But, I know that this is
the world that my kids have to navigate.
It’s their reality. It’s what my
students are dealing with on a daily basis.
It’s what keeps them up at night.
That’s why I have to live in it too – so that I can understand when they
come to me with hard questions that need serious answers.
I’m not sure
if there’s a way to turn down the volume on all of the noise that’s coming at
us 24/7. But, I CAN turn up the volume
on other things – things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable,
excellent or praiseworthy. Phillippians 4
tells me that if I think on THOSE things, the God of peace will be with
me. And, ultimately, He’s the only one
who holds the solution to all of the “crazy” in the world.
“When my
heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is Higher than I.” (Psalms 61:2)
