Regarding this post...
I STRONGLY disagree.
I am
"normal" and very much in the world of global business and
technology. I do see the convenience and efficiency of some of today's devices,
but the state of society's obsession and subservience to their electronic
devices is "avdus" plain and simple.
I have a
high-maintenance job (developing technology for all these mobile devices) that
has required me to be more available and more accessible as the years go on. It
might be a necessary aspect of my current form of parnassa, but I see it as a
necessary evil at best.
I believe that the
habit/obsession with these mobile devices affects people in ways they do not
even realize. Social interaction with almost ANYONE these days is just a
waiting game for the next interruption from an "important" phone call
or a check of the incoming emails literally "as we speak".
Go to any public venue
- bus, restaurant, shul (!!!) and you are basically guaranteed to see people
looking down at their phones. I once saw someone walk straight into a light
pole on the street because he was walking and texting at the same time.
Even in more formal
settings - I have been in corporate meetings (in Israel and in the US) in
different companies and settings and almost every single one is affected by
people distracted with emails, SMS and phone calls coming in.
It's become
"normal" and "acceptable" to whip out your iPhone and check
Facebook while in mid-conversation with even your spouse and kids (!!). What's
the big deal, right? I can multi-task!
Believe me, I am
saying this out of pure experience. I am as guilty as the next guy (and perhaps
more so than most) but at least I can say that I am still self-aware enough not
to be proud of it.
A few months ago while
sitting at home, I was dealing with a "really important" issue at
work which kept me focused on my inbox that was open on my computer. My
daughter was trying to get my attention and finally she said "Abba, what's
more important - me or your computer?!?!?!"
She is 6 years
old.
I could not have asked
the hard question better myself.
Technology adds SO
much to our world. These devices can enhance our daily lives in ways that
previous generations could not even imagine. But I would caution anyone who
feels any form of real dependency or need for these things in their lives to do
some serious cheshbon hanefesh.
Needing to hold,
check, or use these devices just to feel comfortable or like themselves on a
given day sounds to me like an addiction like any other. One who needs a drink
to feel normal is probably an alcoholic. One who needs drugs to feel like
themselves in the morning is probably a drug addict. One who feels a phantom
vibration in their pocket on Shabbos afternoon because they long for their
Blackberry is probably addicted to the device to an extent that crosses the
lines of healthy and productive.
I have so much more to
say on the topic, but I will suffice with this and a strong disagreement with
the perspective that you posted.
Hashem Yishmor
All the best,
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