The first step of learning how to use tech as a gift from God and for His glory is to break the addiction to it. And at the start of week three I’m thinking about how trying to go without something brings to light how hooked you truly are. It’s easy to deny being addicted or to take it very seriously when you’re in the thick of it.
It reminds me of the first Lent I celebrated after becoming Catholic twelve years ago. I decided one of the things I would give up was complaining. I knew it would be a challenge, but I honestly didn’t foresee the extent of the difficulty. Because I had never consciously tried to keep myself from complaining, I’d never noticed how much I actually was doing it. It was an eye opening and humbling experience. It turned out I complained a lot and it seemed I was constantly having to bite my tongue. Before that Lent, I would never have classified myself as a complainer, but I found out that’s exactly what I was.
Similarly, it’s easy to tell yourself you’re not addicted to social media or whatever apps until you try to go without them. The first time I removed Facebook from my phone, I immediately (like seriously, it had been maybe 30 seconds) opened my phone to get on Facebook. I remember thinking wow, this addiction is really ingrained. Without even thinking about it I was going to scroll because I was waiting in the car for my son, and it had gotten to the point that I couldn’t spend a quiet moment with myself. Every second had to be filled with some kind of busyness, however meaningless. Even waiting in a checkout line at the grocery store was too much “downtime.” I’d pull out the phone and scroll until it was my turn.
It’s been so much nicer lately to connect in some way with the people around me. To smile at the little boy who sat in the cart next to me swinging his legs and kicking his sandals off onto the floor. To notice the woman in front of me buying cannoli shells and end up in a conversation where I feel encouraged to try making something new. It’s ironic when I think about it, the way social media is meant to connect us with others, and it does to a point. But depending on how we use it, it’s also possible to feel terribly alone until we put it away and communicate with people in the real world.
Until next week…
Peace be with you,
Catholic Unplugged 