Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Together, but Alone

Sunday's sermon tried to get at our call to unity and pointed out some of the ways we've become divided. After worship, it struck me that I missed one of the biggest challenges we face in trying to connect with one another. Technology. I love technology myself, but in some ways it has killed our community. How often do you see a group of people, especially younger people, together and at least one of them is on the phone or someone is listening to their i-pod? We might be in the same room together, but we're tuned into our technology and our heads are somewhere else. Our mind is with the song on our i-pod, in our conversation on the phone, thinking about our text message, or what e-mail we are sending. We no longer are fully present, all of us present, to the people we are with in the moment.

Multi-tasking? I don't buy it. It is a law of physics that you cannot be in two places at the same time. You might be able to switch back and forth very quickly and efficiently, but you cannot be in both places at the same time. So I challenge you to unplug your electronics for a while and really interact with one another. Don't answer your phone when it rings, you don't have to, or even better yet don't even bring your phone. Sit around the living room and really have a conversation with one another, or play a board game together. You just might find it to be a beautiful gift.

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