How often do we take technology for granted and just accepted
it? How often do we look past the moment
and truly contemplate the impact technology will have in the future? Do we own technology or does it own us? These, and more, are questions we need to ask
when faced with any new, or for that matter, current, technology. This is not a matter of seeking to avoid all forms
of technology or simply calling all technology bad as we need to realize technology comes in many
forms. The clothes we wear, the utensils
we use and many other things that we utilize in everyday life are all a result
of some form of technology. No, what we
need to do is look at all technology with an eye to its impact on us and the
world that God has called us to steward and to do so from a Biblical
perspective.
While the Bible does not necessarily speak directly to a
particular technology we can ask ourselves how any particular technology will
affect our lives in light of how God would have us live and glorify Him. For example; when we see a technology that
will work to divide a family we can know that whatever the technology is it
needs to be seriously scrutinized and either minimize in its use or avoided all
together. Also, if a technology will take
over ones life, as so many tend to do, and leave little time for God then we
need to deal with that so as to avoid its impact of our walk with God.
One book I highly recommend with regards to getting one to
think about technology and our interaction with it is Michael Bunker’s book
Surviving Off Off-Grid. Even if you feel
you have no desire to live off grid or do not think that society will crumble
Bunker asks some probing questions that will make one think about their
relationship with technology. The world
puts forth that to question technological advances is somehow being backward
and ignorant. However, the issue is not
just about whether one accepts a certain technology or not but whether we have
thought through the implications of its use.
These implications are not to be limited to the present but also to its
impact on future generations as well.
If we are honest with ourselves we will have to admit that
with all the promises of technology saving us time and effort we are as busy as
ever, maybe busier. We have been duped by
the allure of what we are told technology can offer and bought into the lie. A lie that says leisure is just around the
next technological corner but what we will find around the corner is another corner
and another marvel to buy and consume our time and affections.
We live in a consumer
based economy and thus technology needs to be in a constant state of change so
as to always be creating the possibility of selling one more item, one more
gadget. Thus, we need to be vigilant so
as not to get caught up in this trap of consumerism and keeping up with
technology which will never happen since as soon as you buy the latest wonder
it will be obsolete and you will need to buy the next one.
When it comes to any technology what we need to do is to
stop, take a breath, and ask if technology is being used by us or are we being used
by it. If tomorrow the Internet was to
go down many would be lost. If we had no
electricity for a day, weeks or even months what would we do? I am not even talking about survival here but
what would be our mindset. Would we sit
in front of our TVs or computers pining away for it come back online? Would we be lost since all our “friends” are
on Facebook, Google+ or some other social network and we realize we have no
personal contact with “actual” people?
What would we do with all our free time, would we remember how to read,
how to talk to family or could we even find the kitchen?
Let me confess; I have made connections with people on Facebook
that I do consider friends and I have corresponded with people via my blog and
other connections on the Internet. But in
truth it was so much more meaningful when I could actually meet these people
face to face or at a minimum was able to at least talk on the phone with them. Technology has allowed me to learn and share
insights that would have taken longer and been more difficult if it had not
existed. I can see the good that has
come via technology. However, I have to
admit I have not been as discerning as I should be in monitoring my use of
technology as I have, as many of us, been sucked up into the black hole of
“technological acceptance.”
As I write this article on my laptop to be posted over the Internet
I wonder if I am a hypocrite in questioning technology. I would say that I would be if I was saying
all technology, at anytime, was wrong.
What I want to stress is that we need to seriously ask questions about
the technology we use and how we use it.
As I have already said we need to ask what the consequences of any
technology could be. We need to be
constantly aware of our reliance, and often total dependence, on technology and
work to avoid such dependence. Of course
if you are like me and live in the city or have a job that is technology driven
it is difficult. We do need to ask if
we have a plan for what to do if for some reason God decides to pull the plug? What will we do when He moves to show us that
we need to rely more on Him than Microsoft, Mac or Dell. Most of us do not have any plans and until
recently I had not even contemplated such a scenario. Michael Bunker’s book, and a few others I
have read recently, have made me begin to think about these things more deeply.
One example of technology, and its associated mindset, being
blindly accepted without much reservation was the Industrial Revolution. When we entered the Industrial Revolution
Christians did not ask the questions they should have and we have thus paid a heavy
price. We as believers did not ask what
God would have us do by looking at the affect the Industrial Revolution would
have on His people. The following
articles make some very good observations with regards to the impact of
technology on mankind:
Reforming the Family – Rev. Brian M. Abshire
Machines and Family (Pt 1 of Series) – Howard king
Industrialism: Rooted in Greed (Pt. 2 of Series) – Howard
king
The Efficiency Invasion: How Industrialism Destroyed the
Traditional Family (Pt. 3 of Series) – Howard king
Efficiency vs the Family – Scott Terry
This all said what should we do, and thus the reason for the
name of this post. Throughout this
article I have mentioned questions we need to ask but we need to go
further. We need to take action so that
we do not become more dependent on technology than on God. To do this my family has decided to challenge
ourselves and go on a technology fast for a week, once every 2 months. During that time we will work to minimize our
use of the technology we have come to so rely on. Apart from work, as I do have to make a
living and am sure my employer would not want to go along, there will be no
computers, thus no internet. I think
Facebook can live without me. We will
only use our phones for emergencies and with regards to cooking be limited to
our stove. Of course if we lived in a
different environment we might be able to limit our use of technology even
further, but this is a start. Actually
even making a decision to do this showed some of our over reliance and desire
for technology in our family. There were
some in the family that balked a little since until we talk about curtailing
our use of technology we did not realize how dependent we had become on it.
In taking part in this “technology fast’ we hope to grow
closer to God. Not necessarily because
of the lack of technology but because of the time we will have that is no longer
absorbed by the technology we use. I am
hoping and praying that our time in family devotions will grow and our
interacting as a family will flourish.
Let me say, if this is done purely to simply say we have avoided
technology I think we would miss the point.
No, we want to do this so that we can realize how dependent we have
become on technology, often at the cost of our dependence on God, and work by
God’s strength to rely on Him as we should.
I encourage you to join us as we seek to set technology
aside, as best you can, for a week. Our
first Technology Fast will take place from January 23nd to January
29th. If you need to start on
a different week that is great since it is not the dates that matter but that
we seek to do something. I encourage you
to share your thoughts on joining us and after the week, whether it be the same
as us or another week, share what God did in the life of your family during the
week.
This, as with all things needs to be done for His glory and
that needs to be at the forefront of our minds.
Let us grow closer to Him as we remove those things that often are seemingly
good but end up impinging on time with Him, with family and with ones church.
Previous Posts in this Series:
GMOs: An Agricultural Tower of Babel?
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