July 25th, 2021: Tranqualization of Lies

 

It was refreshing to walk through a park and saw children playing yesterday. The city built it early this year. I decided to try the swing out and see whether I still can make it go high. Next to me were two boys on a teeter-totter. They were trying to knock each other off.

It was fun to see kids playing outside and get away from the electronic devices.


How often have we seen parents used electronic devices as a tranquilizer? We don't want to be bothered by our youngsters and prefer not to engage them in conversations. So here comes a tablet. That is when we hand our kids to strangers. Tablets use the internet to access information and applications. Would we take one of our kids and leave him (her) by the side of a highway so anyone can pick them up?


It is not about anti-technology and anti-progress. It is about understanding what it means to grant our children a more balanced way to grow up. Learning to have a meaningful conversation with one another is very good for society as a whole. There is so much emotional manipulation, social coercion, and gang control mentality in social media. Bigotry and hatred happen when people are not free to learn from one another face to face. Social media is now the platform for much antisocial behavior.


So using technology is like playing with a teeter-totter. We have to be careful not to get knocked off by social media and other forms of manipulation and control. Progress is not just about embracing what is ahead. It is about learning how to build on a firmer foundation. How can we have a good interaction with one another when we can delete a message within 30 seconds?


Jeremiah 9: 6

"You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit, they refuse to acknowledge me,” declares the LORD."


Psalm 43: 1

"Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked."

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