Dr. Mohler provides an insightful and convicting post on how the digitally savvy student suffers the life of the mind for the sake of maintaining his Facebook status, keeping track of how many cups of coffee Walter has had on Twitter, all the while trying to listen to a lecture on the horrors of suffering in India. Here is his conclusion:
People who cannot maintain mental attention cannot know the intimacy of prayer, and God does not maintain a Facebook page. Our ability to focus attention is not just about the mind, for it is also a reflection of the soul. Our Christian discipleship demands that we give attention to our attention.
Read the whole thing.
Side-note: Ironically I both read and posted this article during class. Ouch.
3 Comments
May 22, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Yes, very good.
I think you’ve hit on the fascinating point. Most people who will read this essay (Mohler’s and the original) will do so by means of the techno-savvy practices described in the essay itself.
For instance, the website of the journal where the original article was published has four or five advertisement or special web banners in the sidebar.
So, even in reading the essay about the value of a focused attention, the reader must (by the nature of the medium) process multiple things at once.
Catch 22.
May 22, 2008 at 8:11 pm
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May 23, 2008 at 1:54 am
Convicting. I could be pious and say I never surf the net while in class, which is true, but it is also true that I cannot get an internet connection in class. It seems the grace of the Lord shines on me in this area. Honestly, I don’t think I would surf if I had the chance, not as much for my own distraction, but for others. I can sometimes multi-task, but I would hate for the people behind me to be distracted. I sit on the front row so I won’t be distracted by other people’s computers, text messaging, doodling, etc.