To my youth: Sorry about the late post, I had something going but I was inspired to write this instead
Technology has such a dominion over our culture today. Almost everywhere you go, you can find people using their phones for various reasons. One of the main things that youth use their phones for is social media. Social media, having social in the name, is meant for connecting with other people from all over the world.
Everyone is on social media so that they could be connected right? I mean who doesn't love a good Tik Tok, or seeing other people's Instagram posts. Like anything else, social media is something that can be very good, in moderation.
Unfortunately, most people don't consume media in moderation. I know that I don't.
Today, youth are over saturated with media. Over saturated by content. You might find yourself scrolling and scrolling for hours with no end in sight. You might think that social media helps you to stay connected with others, but think about all the times you have missed out on real connection.
I have seen times where people can be gathered together and they are all just on their phones, looking at different things, and not even talking to one another. When did our generation become so anti-social?
During the pandemic, when school was online and you couldn't see your friends in person, did your hearts not burn for relationships with others? Did you not long for quality time spent with your friends? And now that we have the opportunities, we take it for granted. At least I have.
I have been listening to this podcast to try and find better ways to occupy my time rather than doom scrolling. This particular episode was talking about relationships and being present to those around us. It was very though provoking so I took some time to reflect on it and it me think of Luke 24: The Road to Emmaus. I invite you to read this chapter within the Bible and let me know what you think!
Basically, two of Jesus's disciples are walking to a village called Emmaus. During their walk, they encounter Jesus, but don't know it is Him. Long story short, Jesus makes himself known to the disciples and them disappears. They then say:
"Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"
(Luke 24:32 RSV)
They spent a day walking and talking with Jesus. They were talking to Him and had no idea, that the person they were looking for was right there in front of them. *Seriously, take a moment to read that chapter in the Bible*
Now I go back to social media.
Social media and perhaps even our desire to use it can be traced to a more pure desire: a desire for relationship. It is a desire to be seen, known, and loved. And just like within the road to Emmaus, the answer we are really, truly looking for, is right before us. It is within the people that we encounter in our classes, at our jobs, and if we put our phones down and truly made an effort to be present with the people around us, or better yet, put them down to spend some time with God, you will find that life opens up a little.
I will be posting a part II of this soon.