Things in our modern society are degenerating at an amazing speed. Just about everyone can see it, and many are talking about it, but few are doing anything about it. I am not about to pretend to be immune to society's problems, but I have tried very hard to step back so that I can view them from the "30,000 foot perspective". As most of you know, I do not do Facebook or Twitter, I do not have any kind of broadcast or cable t.v. in my home, and when I read the "news" I do not believe everything they claim.
Many opinions and behaviors that were considered, just 15 years ago, by most people to be foolish, are now common place. Someone asked recently if we are actually living in the novel "1984". I would have to say that we are not; this is because "Brave New World" (by Aldous Huxley) is a much closer depiction of our current state of the world (I have written about this comparison many times before). "1984" just describes a totalitarian regime that controls all behavior; whereas "Brave New World" describes a totalitarian regime that does not have to control behavior -- it just makes people stop thinking for themselves so that they will follow blindly (and not notice, or care, that they are being controlled)!
The long and short of this modern state of affairs, is that much of the world's population have been "brainwashed". Our thinking has changed (or it may be better to say we have stopped thinking) to such a degree that it is comparable to having been transplanted to another planet from what our forefathers lived on. As I ponder this state of foolhardiness, I am compelled by the fact that, although there are many things that are crippling us, few of them can (technically) be dispensed with quickly and simply. Imagine, if you will, an addictive drug, that not only prevents you from overcoming its effects, but it also blinds you to the addiction itself.
Something like this would be a perfect weapon (and would be used regularly by the devil). All you have to do is release it publicly, and in a short matter of time, the vast majority of the population would not only be infected, but most would not even be aware of the infection, and the few that were aware, would be largely unable to cure it. This would be a diabolically perfect combination of both a modern "drug of choice" as well as a "disease" that prevents us from seeing the problem.
What would make this modern "drug" that much more effective, would be if it were not inherently evil. Something that is comparatively neutral would enable us to emphasize its neutrality (at least in our own minds) and thus prevent us from recognizing any negative aspects at all. What I am speaking about, broadly of course, is technology (are you really surprised?). Specifically, we can see the concentration of this technological addiction in one place, and that is the "so-called" smart phone. With it, we can talk to people, avoid talking to people (and just text them), play games, buy stuff, keep our schedules, and search the internet (I am sure there are a few more things I am unaware of, but since I do not own one that is all that comes to mind).
Much of what I am saying here might seem like merely a grumpy priest spouting off, were it not for the fact that this has been recognized by many of those both outside and inside the Church. There are even some places in the USA where I have read about city councils who are considering declaring it illegal for children under 18 who live in their city to possess a smart phone (making it comparable to alcohol). Right or wrong solution: they see the problem. In fact, I have never (yet) met anyone who would deny that vast numbers of society are addicted to their smart phones. The issue is, however, that even though many are willing to admit the problem, they are not doing much (if anything) to separate themselves from that which they know is harming them.
As I said above, we can technically separate ourselves from it (all you have to do is throw it away), but it is more easily said than done. I once heard an adult say, "I could not go a few hours without my phone; my whole life is in there." Although the individual would not call it an "addiction" per se, the reality is that we have plugged ourselves into it so much (possibly because of the so-called conveniences it offers) that now we are unsure of how to unplug ourselves.
"The sin that clings so closely" (cf. Hebrews 12:1) has become "the technology that clings so closely". I recall once suggesting to someone who had a porn addiction to get rid of his smart phone. He looked at me as though I had suggested he get rid of his soul. His response was not actually violent, but he was clearly offended by the idea. "You don't understand; I need it because...", and you know how the rest goes. This is something the world did without for millennia and now people "need it".
Some of you may have read how a (former) major executive at Facebook said recently that he regrets ever having helped to develop it, because he said it has corrupted our very thinking at the deepest levels. He went on to discuss this "change" has made us become more and more isolated from each other, and addicted to pleasing self with our technology (wow!). The change in thinking would not be such an issue, in my opinion, if we were unable to check "our Facebook status" while on the go. Facebook, like so many other social media outlets (which are remarkably anti-social!) is mostly effective because it can follow us around and draw us in like animals to a trap.
I even tried to think through it the other day: what would it take to separate myself from those technologies that I myself am dependent upon (for, I do not imagine that smart phones are the only form of addiction; just an easy one to point out)? There were some aspects I could not answer easily, and others that would require a great deal of expenditure to accomplish it. What would we do if it were forced upon us? How would we respond if it were all taken away in a moment (like with a massive EMP or something like that)? That is the real question, is it not? For the difference will be in whether we merely appreciate these devices, or whether we idolize them. It is quite painful to let go of idols.
I assume most of you remember the old t.v. series "The Twilight Zone". One of the things about it that many people do not realize is that a large percentage of the stories were more about issues of irony than about the supernatural. Yes, there was a deal of science fiction (with an emphasis on the "fiction" part), but even then, it was the irony that fascinated and shocked the watcher more than anything else. That irony that Rod Serling loved to portray for us was often people doing oddly unexpected behaviors in ways that pointed out the main character's poor choices in life (go back and watch a few episodes and you will see it clearly).
Watching people wander around (or sometimes drive around) staring into these little digitized screens, with that eerie glow on their faces: it seems surreal. At times I expect Mr. Serling himself to step out from behind a corner and say something like, "America, a country that has blindly fallen into an addiction that is killing her. The addiction is bad enough, but the worst aspect of it is that she does not see how it is destroying her. America is taking a journey; the destination, unfortunately, is . . . the twilight zone." I can even hear his voice saying it, can you?
What is the irony in this? Like I said above: odd behaviors that the viewer sees as foolish, but the character himself does not recognize. An addictive drug that we "cannot do without" has infected society. We presume upon it and try to justify it in our minds. Yet, since our thinking has been rewired to accept the drug as "not that bad" we hear the criticisms and see the problems and then just ignore them. The question often asked of an alcoholic who denies his problem is, "can you just give it up?" If you have a smart phone (and most today do), can you give it up?
