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JennGM
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| Posted: July 18 2012 at 8:42am | IP Logged
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This is Not an Article by Zac Alstin at Mercator.net
How much of technology is in our day, and yet this is not REALITY? We are staring at a computer screen and reading things that don't really exist.
It's a thinking post, really. A little dose of reality.
I'm not becoming a Luddite, but the reminder for living within God's created REAL world and moderate use of the electronics seems to be a good balance. Real books, real nature, real face-to-face family time....
What did you think about his thoughts?
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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stellamaris
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| Posted: July 18 2012 at 10:32am | IP Logged
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Wow, this is exactly what I have been thinking about this morning (really...this summer!). I am seeing more and more the pervasiveness of non-reality-based games and activities. I don't remember this being a problem with my older children, but it has gotten to be such a problem here now that I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of/hiding/not charging my various iDevices and computers. We do limit the time, but even that doesn't seem to really help too much...it's just insidious and becomes a constant source of conflict (can't I play one more game? can't I use your computer? can't I play LEGO builder?)
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| Think about it: a computer is only an electronic device with a graphic display, yet we treat it like an extension of our own world, containing a variety of objects. We peer into the screen as though, like Alice, we can discern an entire world through the looking glass. |
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Not only do we try to discern an entire world, but, perhaps what is worse, we try to escape the world we are in! I truly believe this is a profound and dangerous temptation for us. I wonder whether it is really beneficial for us or for others to try to use the virtual world to evangelize? Is the world coming to a place where there will be no contact with REALITY?? St. Paul evangelized by going to meet people where they were. His letters would have had no effect if first he had not preached in person, taught in person, and established personal relationships. Perhaps there is a CM component here, too--the science of relationships? How can we have a relationship with a virtual world? Doesn't it have to be real?
This struck me:
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| The point is that none of this stuff actually exists; only the appearance of it exists. |
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. It almost seems like an anti-Christ. The Eucharist appears to be bread, but is really True Reality, True Presence, whereas the virtual world appears to be reality, but is really emptiness. The Eucharist nourishes us, but the virtual world depletes and empties us. It deprives us of sensory awareness (looking at a computer image of a waterfall, for instance, is a poverty...no sound, no smell, no feel of the spray or cool air, no way to interact, touch, etc). St. Thomas believed that all knowledge has a base in our sensory experience, so if we are deprived of that, will we lose the knowledge of God? If we look at pictures of the stars, will we lose the wonder of looking at the stars themselves? Will we be able to hear the "heavens proclaim the glory of God" on our iPads?
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| The decreasing cost of technology means that individuals own multiple devices suited to different functions. Perhaps in the future it will make sense to have a cheap device dedicated to typing up your long-winded essays, another specifically for reading, another for communication, yet another for watching videos and listening to music, all of them connected to your personal online storage. Each device, by being specialised and purpose-driven, could do away with the confusing and mentally draining illusion of a virtual world full of virtual objects. |
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Actually, I can't see how this will solve the problem. The real problem lies in the spiritual realm. We are tempted always to take the easy path, the entertaining path. This is the path that seems so pleasant in the short run, but in the long run leads to death. I know this sounds sort of extreme, but we must resist the lure of technology, being certain that it is a servant, not a master.
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to  dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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stellamaris
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| Posted: July 18 2012 at 10:33am | IP Logged
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Got to say, I'm surely Chatty Kathy today! 
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: July 18 2012 at 11:25am | IP Logged
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I only have one word as I ponder this (and love it!) - WOW.
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Garden of Francis
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aussieannie
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| Posted: July 18 2012 at 5:54pm | IP Logged
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It was very good reading, dh thought much of his article as well. An Australian chap I noticed. Gives much to think about.
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knowloveserve
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| Posted: July 18 2012 at 9:15pm | IP Logged
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This has been on my mind all year.
I can't recommend enough the book Alone Together: why we expect more from technology and less from each other.
I think this is a tremendously important thing to reflect on...
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Ellie
The Bleeding Pelican
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Food for Thought: Reality
