The pastor was presenting something he called a “Technology Fast.” The local pastors’ association was asking people to get away from their electronics until the National Day of Prayer. It is not a bad idea but it would be a bit more complex than just going without. Most people could not be expected to not use a phone as a phone. Perhaps there could be a time limit for some conversations but if you are checking up on your widowed aunt it hardly qualifies as addiction to electronics. It would definitely apply to the families you see in restaurants with each person engrossed in a screen.
It makes me think about my electronics and the way I use them. I am writing this on a laptop. Would it be more spiritual to pull out my typewriter instead? Actually it would be impossible because I got rid of my typewriter decades ago. I would be glad to not use my alarm clock. Does reading The Brothers Karamazov on my Kindle count as technology? In a way I would love a reason to stop reading that. I am not sure I would benefit from this fast.
It occurred to me that at one point printed Bibles were cutting edge technology. The same could be said of so many things such as the iron plow, steel shovels and most of the tools people use every day. How about the pain killers at the dentist? We live in a technological age. Picture fixing dinner without electric lights, refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, or any of the many labor saving devices we are accustomed to using.
Maybe we should combine this fast with a daily listing of thanksgiving for all the blessings that we receive from technology.
Life is never simple.
homo unius libri
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Opus 2022-131: Technology Fast
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.