There was a fascinating couplet of articles in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend (first weekend in June, 2010) written by two guys with competing axes to grind. One (Nicholas Carr) argues that the Internet is making people dumber; the other (Clay Shirky) thinks that the Internet is making us smarter.
The articles are getting a lot of play in a lot of places. I’ve even seen the issue debated on a fitness site I frequent (www.crossfit.com).
There are decent points made on each side, but, on reading the articles, I came away with the following: The Internet is a thing. Like all things, it must be managed. Managed poorly, it will be destructive. Managed wisely it will be a blessing.
Carr’s article is based on serious research that tells us that the brain is actually “re-mapped” through the sensory overload that comes our way through the Internet. Because of the tempting distractedness that comes with the Internet, we think differently and (Carr, asserts) more shallowly.
Shirky’s piece looks at the unimaginably rich treasure of information on the Internet and sees the blessings of increased learning. At the fingertips of anyone with access to the web is a goodly percentage of the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of mankind.
Both articles are persuasively written. But whichever one of them is correct in your case or in mine is largely dependent on the choices we make as we come to the Internet.
Yes, the Internet can make us smarter - but Shirky admits that more people visit porn sites than www.britannica.com.
Yes, the Internet can make us dumber - but a disciplined approach to the World Wide Web that refuses the temptation to be co-opted into a 90 second sound bite approach to learning will enable us to think deeply, even while online.
The issue is ownership. Personal ownership of our mental life will determine whether the Internet enhances or degrades, benefits or cheapens, adds value or takes away value.
Noticing a tremendous tendency in myself toward distraction I’m greatly limiting my own exposure to the Internet these days and am finding increased capacity for intentional reading and writing (no ‘rithmetic!) and engagement with people. This new resolve is not perfect, but I do notice that when I stick to it, the productivity results are encouraging.
Intentionality and purposefulness and ownership are critical to mental acuity, physical fitness, emotional health, relational wholeness - and, of course, spiritual vitality.
Any old excuse will do when looking for a reason to explain out-of-shapeness in any arena of life. Only when I’m willing to point the accusing finger back at myself and OWN my own behavior is there the possibility of real change.
It ain’t the Internet. It ain’t the lack of time to exercise. It’s ain’t the difficulty of the job or the difficulty of the people I live with. It’s my ownership of the challenge that will determine my forward progress.
And in the most important area of life there is, the same holds true. The vitality of my walk with God is dependent on my pursuit of the God who has proven His passionate pursuit of me by the cross of Jesus. My response to Him through:
· prayer,
· meditation on His Word and obedience to that Word, and
· engagement with others on the same journey toward spiritual health
will result in the kind of relationship with God I long to enjoy. As James promises, [4:7] Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Killer secrets
KILLLER SECRETS
Much of what the Bible has to say about secrets tells us to keep them. If a friend shares a sacred secret with others, he's not much of a friend.
As Solomon says,
[Proverbs 11:13] He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.
And obviously, nobody wants to be a talebearer!
While completely affirming the wisdom of Scripture, I have other concerns on my mind about secrets. And at the risk of overstatement, I'll say it as bluntly as I know how:
Secrets kill.
Too many times I've seen the murderous power of secrets.
Of course I'll grant that there are "secrets" and then there are "SECRETS." Keeping mum about a surprise birthday party is one thing. Keeping mum about the present you've purchased for a good friend until the time is right - no problem.
But there is another kind of secret that eats at the soul of the person who holds it.
Once, on the opening spot of the old TV sitcom Cheers, Dr. Frasier Crane and Woody were talking about some stresses in Woody’s life. As we know, Dr. Crane was a psycho-therapist. He was encouraging Woody to express his anxieties and worries, to talk about them, to open up about them. That was a new thought for Woody. He responded by explaining how he dealt with his inner anxieties and the pressures he felt. “Dr. Crane, back where I come from, the way we deal with problems is we keep them all inside. See, there is this little place inside each one of us where we can stuff our problems, and we just keep on stuffing them all inside. And when that little place is all filled up we just keep stuffing our problems and worries in there.” After this little speech, Woody turns back toward the bar. Dr. Crane looks at the ever-present Norm and says, “Tick, tick, tick, tick - BOOM.”
I’m writing to destroy the “stuff-it” strategy and to urge a secret-free life.
I honestly don’t know how I would have made it this far in life if I had not been blessed with a few friends through the years who have listened as I have told them my secrets.
The freedom to unburden my own heart of secrets has been one of the greatest gifts the Holy Spirit has given me. Secret sharing has diffused internal pressure, brought relief, helped me gain perspective, breathed hope into my soul, and blown wind into my sails.
If I were the Grand Potentate of My World (or even, Yertle the Turtle like, “the ruler of all that I see”), I would mandate that every person have a friend worthy of secret-bearing.
I would further mandate that no one suffer through a devastating loss alone, that no one endure a marriage crisis alone, that no one hide a secret addition, that no one cry himself or herself to sleep, night after night, for want of someone to hear their secrets.
Alas, since I am neither the Grand Potentate of anything or Yertle, I’ll simply urge that you take another cue from the Bible. Look for the friend with whom you can share your deepest secrets.
That kind of a friend is a lifesaver.
[Proverbs 18:24] A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Much of what the Bible has to say about secrets tells us to keep them. If a friend shares a sacred secret with others, he's not much of a friend.
As Solomon says,
[Proverbs 11:13] He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.
And obviously, nobody wants to be a talebearer!
While completely affirming the wisdom of Scripture, I have other concerns on my mind about secrets. And at the risk of overstatement, I'll say it as bluntly as I know how:
Secrets kill.
Too many times I've seen the murderous power of secrets.
Of course I'll grant that there are "secrets" and then there are "SECRETS." Keeping mum about a surprise birthday party is one thing. Keeping mum about the present you've purchased for a good friend until the time is right - no problem.
But there is another kind of secret that eats at the soul of the person who holds it.
Once, on the opening spot of the old TV sitcom Cheers, Dr. Frasier Crane and Woody were talking about some stresses in Woody’s life. As we know, Dr. Crane was a psycho-therapist. He was encouraging Woody to express his anxieties and worries, to talk about them, to open up about them. That was a new thought for Woody. He responded by explaining how he dealt with his inner anxieties and the pressures he felt. “Dr. Crane, back where I come from, the way we deal with problems is we keep them all inside. See, there is this little place inside each one of us where we can stuff our problems, and we just keep on stuffing them all inside. And when that little place is all filled up we just keep stuffing our problems and worries in there.” After this little speech, Woody turns back toward the bar. Dr. Crane looks at the ever-present Norm and says, “Tick, tick, tick, tick - BOOM.”
I’m writing to destroy the “stuff-it” strategy and to urge a secret-free life.
I honestly don’t know how I would have made it this far in life if I had not been blessed with a few friends through the years who have listened as I have told them my secrets.
The freedom to unburden my own heart of secrets has been one of the greatest gifts the Holy Spirit has given me. Secret sharing has diffused internal pressure, brought relief, helped me gain perspective, breathed hope into my soul, and blown wind into my sails.
If I were the Grand Potentate of My World (or even, Yertle the Turtle like, “the ruler of all that I see”), I would mandate that every person have a friend worthy of secret-bearing.
I would further mandate that no one suffer through a devastating loss alone, that no one endure a marriage crisis alone, that no one hide a secret addition, that no one cry himself or herself to sleep, night after night, for want of someone to hear their secrets.
Alas, since I am neither the Grand Potentate of anything or Yertle, I’ll simply urge that you take another cue from the Bible. Look for the friend with whom you can share your deepest secrets.
That kind of a friend is a lifesaver.
[Proverbs 18:24] A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
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