I’ve been thinking today about our willing embrace of information overload. Some of us bow down before our Blackberries, iPhones, and Androids so very willingly…really. Is there anyone else is all the world who so captures your attention? Every flash, beep and buzz must be acknowledged. Work never ends. ‘Fun’ never ends. Our obedience to our handheld master is nearly absolute.
From a bit of a different angle, consider video games. I know a great many people–many (not all) are young males–who spend an amazing number of hours plugged into these addictive products (I feel quite free to talk on this topic as my numbers contributed over the years are nothing to sniff at). We can discuss the benefits and downsides of eye-hand coordination, harm to eyes and wrists and all that sort of thing but, please, not today. Instead, consider this. If the young Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein lived today would we have the incredible products of these brilliant minds? I think of one brilliant mind in particular who has powerfully compelling ideas that have over the years sputtered out due to lack of attention. I suspect a modern day Leonardo would be very tempted to spend a few hours in Name-You-Favorite-Game rather than figuring out the kinks in his latest project. Let me be so bold as to say that our enemy the Devil very much advocates high quality, engaging video games. If you can’t beat down a man directly, distraction to the point of ineffectiveness is the next best thing. This tactic certainly worked on Solomon, who had everything he needed to succeed but over the years allowed a heart and mind of wisdom to slowly slide into ineffectiveness and then outright idolatry.
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