“I Blew it Off”
Written by Sarah Paquet on Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
A Lenten riddle: what is by your side night and day, always wanting to help you out, connecting you to a world you’ve never seen and ready with answers to any question?
I wish I could say my answer is ‘God,’ but unfortunately in my case, the answer is ‘my phone.’
We’re all familiar with the way technology has become a concrete part of our lives, and whether we find it sinister or benevolent is really up to us, I suppose. I know that in my case, my phone is my number one tool for distraction and procrastination. If I’m bored in class, I turn to it without hesitation. When I don’t want to finish an assignment, I check Facebook. Lately I’ll spend a few minutes checking my phone when I park my car just because I don’t want to walk out into the cold.
What complicates my relationship with my phone is the people it connects me to. Taking Buzzfeed quizzes at my convenience is one thing, but responding to every single email and text can be a little exhausting. So, I tend to filter what I respond to, responding quickly to things I deem “important” and slowly (if at all) to things I don’t value. Yes, technology connects us, but it also makes it a lot easier to blow things off than if contact were made face-to-face.
I’ve spent some time away from my phone this Lent. The phone-free world offers a few uncomfortable things: people I find a bit difficult, classes I find a little boring, and silences that would otherwise be filled by thumbs clicking away. The interesting thing is not these daily challenges, which certainly everyone experiences, but what we choose to do with them. Uncomfortable situations don’t go away when we avoid them, and it turns out confronting them is a significantly richer experience. Further, confronting them often forces us to act – a boring class isn’t so boring if you participate, and silence leaves space for attempts at meaningful conversation.
It turns out life is more interesting when you’re paying attention.
Questions for Reflection and Suggestion for Prayer:
Consider your own relationship with technology. Does it distract you? Do you feel like it better connects you to the world?
The next time your phone or computer requests your attention, see what happens if you ignore it.
The Punch Brothers have a lot of interesting things to say about the role technology plays in our lives on their recent album The Phosphorescent Blues. This song is a good starting place:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zkiiJBXq8I]
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Sarah Paquet
Sarah is a 1st year master’s student in the choral conducting program at Yale University. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2012 and spent the following year serving as a Peer Minister at St. Mary Student Parish.
Email: slpaquet@gmail.com