Thursday, March 06, 2008

Cyber Humanity



I keep hearing a lot about this new thing called "Twitter". Even my hubby does it so I thought I'd check out his Twitter page to see what all the excitement was about. I read through his page and most of it were things such as, "Going to the movies", "washing and gassing the Camry", and "headed to bed". It began to tickle me a bit as I thought about everyone updating their page throughout the day and I started to tease Todd about it. I told him I was going to start my own page and post ridiculously tedious moments like "Now I am coughing", "Now I am reaching for the Kleenex", "Now I am out of Kleenex", "I am now going to the store to buy more Kleenex". Of course I was just being obnoxious, but it really began to make me think about why people want everyone to know what they are up to, and even more, why we read what everyone posts about their day. I find it fascinating that in a world so fearful of personal security being breached, we live our lives as an open book on the computer. We have online diaries where anyone can read out thoughts. We have pages on Myspace and Facebook that display our interests, pictures and friends. We even feel the need to let others know where we are and what we are doing. Could it be, that in this world of fast pace technology, that maybe we are actually lacking the social interactions that we, as humans, are designed for? Could we be reaching beyond the cyber world in hopes that someone will care about us? I have to be honest, the more I thought about this, the more I realized that it is true in my own life. Relationships over the internet can be fun, safe and even meaningful at times, but they will always lack human contact. I think we need to challenge ourselves to pick up the phone every once in a while and talk to a friend instead of typing them a message. We need to go out with a group to the movies sometimes, instead of always discussing it in a thread. Most of all, we need to reach out and really connect with someone who is hurting in person. As much as a card or email can make someones day, a hug or a listening ear can do wonders.

Just my two cents.

2 Comments:

At 11:41 AM, Blogger marie.ryder said...

Well said Kim :) I am reading a book by Rob Bell and he talks about this very thing. How God designed us to be relational, not just with each other but with nature. And our society has become so inclined to stay inside with our tv or computer that we miss out on a huge part of what God wants for us. (As I'm typing away behind my computer lol.) This is a real challenge for me because I've grown up talking to people behind the computer screen.

 
At 12:07 PM, Blogger Kristen M. said...

That's why "3-Story" evangelism is effective (building intentional relationships with the purpose of relating God's Story/My Story/Your Story). It's amazing how many people open up and confess things to Adam or just want to talk about their lives because they hear the word "pastor" in his name. They are looking for someone safe who will listen and care about them.

As for myself, blogging has opened up a whole new interesting world of people and ideas. I started blogging as a way to journal and develop my thoughts. And I had to find something to do while Adam was on his computer! As someone who is shy, blogging gives me a "voice". I think I am also becoming a better writer - writing is a challenge for me. Blogging has also opened up opportunities that are just plain fun - contests, book reviews, product reviews and talking about things that I enjoy. To be honest with you, I haven't developed any serious blogging relationships but I have reconnected with good friends from college. We read each other's blogs and leave comments. It's almost like ten years hasn't passed!

 

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