As westerners, we demure with ease so long as our comfortableness is maintained. For we are materially wealthy (& subsequently hyper comfortable) to the nth degree with expected conveniences galore. Yet comfort comes, so very often, with strings attached. Strings that pay homage to / speak to our idolatrous nature.
Screens are all around us, and as such, they're culture's primary mode of distribution (communicative influence). The precedent set for this came about via the printing press' revolution of our cultural paradigm. These screens are mounted above our fireplaces at home, held fast within our pockets, strapped to our wrists, stationed on our desks at work, glowing at us from within the car, and visual aiding us at church. Our expectation today is for screens to be energized (always on) and novel with constant, unlimited content which is forever being burned (& subsequently written over) into our eyeballs. They're now as ubiquitous as automobiles quickly became once civil engineers began designing roads / bridges and contractors laid asphalt.
But there's a difference in usage for a movie theater screen and a screen in your pocket. Yet is there? Which might be more or less influential and why?
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Soon, we'll be presented with the notion of moving into a virtual reality screen where we may very well engage within a digital world. No doubt, this world will be incredibly comfortable and novel, providing us with seemingly unlimited opportunity to be entertained. The experience will occur in isolation yet behind a communal facade. Very similar to the social media experiences of today but holistically more encompassing. This will be a world where "everyone's equal" and has "a voice" that can be harnessed (somewhat covertly) by market makers to rake in the advertising revenue.
I'm of the opinion that they'll be very few cultural limits (moral) to what we'll be experiencing within this metaverse because of that "protective" facade. For it will coax us into believing we're actually not unhealthily isolated via this pursuit. May that very well be its greatest deception?
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As you know, technology is the engine that's driving all of this. Mostly for profit but some too simply out of curiosity. As microprocessors get faster and faster, our technologically accelerative culture gains that much more momentum as it exploits these advancements. Costs too, play a factor here. For the mass production of these incredible microscopic devices, which move vast quantities of data at the blink of an eye, has become so streamlined and optimized that they're now integrated into everything around us.
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So why am I writing a post about this?
We are not pagans. We're called to be holy. Set apart.
Yet, we're sitting squarely within this culture that I've described above because we too are westerners. Westerners who refuse to live in caves.
And, there're those strings that I mentioned within the first sentence. Let's close this one up by addressing those caveats themselves.
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Your brain, no matter how spiritually mature you consider yourself to be, is being systematically shaped by our culture's devotion to tech. And your brain is where your soul resides.
This is truth.
This shaping is the web of strings that we commit to whilst engaging within our culture, and it's impossible to not agree to (be influenced by) because our brains (way of thinking) are malleable (especially when emotions are involved).
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What can be done - as individuals - to intentionally resist / put into perspective this systematic soul shaping? How can we detoxicate / disassociate / work against these powerful cultural influences?
1. Limit screen time, and the most pragmatic means to accomplish this is to purge as many of them from your life as you realistically can. This may sound unrealistic, but it's easier to do once you recognize the importance of protecting yourself. On a related note, if you're unwilling to discard a particular device, temporarily decommission it via distance. Leave it behind.
2. Engage with other Christian men who've recognized the call to be holy and who're willing to assist one another within that pursuit via relational accountability.
In closing, to expound a bit on #2, based on my experience, this process needs a format (like a Samson Society charter) to drive it forward with aplomb. And despite the fact that there's no Academy Awards to be handed out therein, it's just as much a blockbuster for the soul. Enriching, uplifting, convicting, prioritizing, re-sensitizing, humanizing, qualifying.
