In the world today anyone can see we are a long way from the tent living and homesteading of our past generations. With each decade and year we are progressing technologically. This is a wonderful and fascinating thing, but I believe it is also propelling us farther away from our God created world and we are paying a price.
I feel as if we are caught between two worlds in the 21st century. The one God crafted for us and the one we are creating for ourselves. We are in the midst of trading God’s real world for a virtual one. One example to express this is, have you ever seen the night sky unencumbered by light pollution? I never have. Every night I only see a small faction of the stars that are out there. It would be amazing to see the vastness of the universe every clear night.
In a more machine/AI minded world people who work are seen more as machines by their employers than actual people. Many organizations do not see people. All they see are numbers. Perhaps this mentality has contributed to the large number of people who have left their jobs in the US. Also it’s very clear how many jobs are being and will be replaced by machines. There is a clear benefit to businesses for doing that, but how does that impact a country socially and economically? Where is this all leading us to? Weren’t most jobs meant to be done by people? What happens when businesses value technology over people and replace those people with new tech? Work was meant to be a part of our lives. Isn’t there a greater value in knowing a person made something by hand rather than it being done by a machine?
Can you see how in some ways we have traded what is tangible for something intangible or incomplete? We’ve traded high quality carpentry for buying cheap shelving online. We’ve traded quality for mass quantity. We become more and more dependent on technology each year. I’m not saying technology is bad, but it must be handled with care because it can consume our lives.
There is definitely this deep connection with nature that man was born into in Genesis. This Earth was created as our home and we are it’s caretakers. If only we would trade looking at beautiful landscape backgrounds on screens for the real thing and venture outside to see the natural world around us. Or maybe we would still be looking down at a screen even then. We see more of the virtual world on our screens than the beautiful earth around us.
I believe this projection towards a virtual world is inevitable and to be expected. I’m not really writing with a hope it can be slowed down, but I hope to bring this movement to light. Technology is amazing, but it’s also replacing things that are valuable like craftsmanship, hard work, jobs, interactions with other people, the natural world and our environment.
With COVID, in-person interactions are now threatened and considered dangerous, but there is a depth to time spent with people that can’t be matched by technology. Virtual communication is still helpful, but still not the same thing. Maybe now we can see how important it is to be around other people and value it all the more because of COVID. Interacting with people in-person is incredibly valuable to our well-being and mental health.
Our eating habits are definitely not progressing in a healthy way. More processing. More convenience. Less homemade anything. Less real farm land grown ingredients in anything. Cooking actually takes some skill and takes time. I would argue it’s difficulty is that many are just not used to putting so much time and effort just to eat. Cooking at home has great value. Maybe our priorities need rearranged. Who has time to cook in this fast-paced world we live in?
With nature you learn everything has a season and a time and many processes take months if not years. Yet most places these day you can buy several kinds of produce regardless of season. With modern tech there is no more waiting. I believe with effort and waiting we value what we have more.
I personally have begun seeking out ways to slow the progression towards a virtual world in my own life by slowing down and embracing slower processes, even choosing analog over digital. I also now see my grocery buying as an investment into my own health as well as an investment in businesses that value more natural processes to producing food. I believe the biggest daily impact of the virtual man made world is it’s culture of instant.
I can’t help but wonder what are we missing by living so detached from the world God made us? To me this is a scary thought. I don’t know about you, but personally this microwaved modern lifestyle is a very stressful pace for me.
Perhaps technology is our generation’s tower of Babel. There are those who disregard God and believe technology can make them like God (the oldest lie, Genesis 3:5). We have already entered an era in which we have a lot of power and say over death, life, genetics, etc. Isn’t there a line that can be crossed where we begin to play God? Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. Just because it’s within our grasp doesn’t mean we should do it. There are areas of human advancement man was never meant to go. Satan is certainly among the elite, tempting them to continue on with the promise of God-like knowledge and power. For those who deny God, they will not stop or ask if they should. The masses are eager follow them.
Technology is not innately sinful or bad. After all God’s word is being spread virtually today and the show called The Chosen is a clear example of this. It’s how I’m even writing and sharing this blog. Advanced technology in healthcare is saving and improving so many lives every single day! Technology is a wonderful thing. God is present in the virtual world as well. It’s as if no matter where we go God is always there. We just can’t forget that many of those who run the show in the tech world do not have God in mind.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 NLT
If you are someone who deals with anxiety constantly, you are not alone. Maybe this fast technologically advanced world is affecting you like it is me. Things just work too fast and I just can’t keep up with the world’s fast pace every minute of everyday. I believe God created us to live a much slower paced life with rest as well as hard work. If we could just dial things back, simplify life, rest… We are humans not machines. We can’t get everything done in one day. We can’t solve every problem instantly. We weren’t created to live at such a fast pace.
Enjoy the beauty in how God created this natural world and us. We are finite beings. We can’t do it all. There is a joy and beauty to slowing down and disconnecting from our phones and modern tech.
Maria
Very timely words and message