Fasting from Technology

I was given a great idea from First Things Magazine, to fast from all technology on Sunday's each week. So I tried it from 5:00 pm on Saturday to Monday morning, and I have to say that it was an incredible blessing. It let me focus on rest, when your checking your text's and your e-mails through out the day, your not completely resting.

Technology can be an incredible gift, I always think of the road system of the early Roman Empire, which allowed St Paul to travel freely and spread the gospel far and wide. When used as a tool, technology can be a huge blessing for spreading the gospel, and bringing people together. But it can also become an idol. Here is a quote from the Lord of the Rings on the Ring by Bilbo, see how much it resembles the way we view Smart Phones, and computers.

"Now that it comes to it, I don't like parting with it at all, I may say, and I don't really see why I should. Why do you want me to? he asked, "It would be a relief in a way not to be bothered with it, It has been growing on my mind recently, sometimes I've felt it like an eye looking at me, and I am always wanting to put it on and disappear, don't you know, or wondering if its safe, and pulling it out to be sure. I tried to lock it up, but I found I couldn't rest without it in my pocket. I don't know why, but I can't seem to make up my mind,"

That was a word for word quote from the Lord of the Rings. I didn't change anything. The words that jumped out at me, were, "I was always wanting to put it on and disappear". That is the main point, that technology has accomplished bringing worlds together, but in some ways it has made us grow apart from the people closest to us, because instead of engaging around a table, or becoming a better conversationalist, we can go to our nearest computer or smart phone, and disappear like Bilbo. The problem for Bilbo, Gollum and Frodo, if you use the ring too much, you lose your ability to be a hobbit. If a human disappears through technology too much, they lose their humanity.

My wife and I were laughing so hard the other night, when two high school kids were walking up the street, and they were both texting while they walked, not talking to each other, so I called out, "are you texting each other," It seems At&t stole my joke, in a recent commercial a couple over dinner texts each other instead of talking to each other.

The whole point is to make sure that technology never becomes an idol, that we use it as a tool, and one good way to secure against this, is just to turn it off from time to time, which for me, will continue to be on Sunday's.