Introducing Margo...

Let me introduce to you Margo. (Applause!!) Margo is a great writer and author of one of my favorite blogs, The Rosary Trail. (To visit The Rosary Trail click here.) She has graciously allowed me to use one of her posts for this blog. The title of this post is called, Technology Abuse.  So without further delay here is Margo in her own words...

Technology Abuse

by Margo

With the emergence of the Internet and the strides we have taken in our advancement of technology, it occurs to me that maybe we have entered the era of technology abuse because we are allowing technology to replace God.  It seems to me that we have actually lost, not gained, something along the way.  As a society, we have become so adept at embracing anything connected to technological newness that we are failing to remember that God is in charge, not us.  We seem to have forgotten why we are here in the first place and how all this knowledge and the inclination to advance ourselves is even possible.

Unfortunately, God is slowing being replaced by electronic worship.  This technology abuse is causing spiritual disconnect and is providing a breeding ground for Satan, who thrives on anything that pulls us away from God.  Satan is real and active in our world today.  He uses the most advanced and sophisticated methods of technology in order to entice us away from our Creator and instead provides us with an illusion of self-empowerment through convincing us that we can do just fine on our own with our little handheld gadgets and electronic relationships.  It’s sad that what started out as an incredible gift to humanity is turning into one of the greatest worldwide curses in history.

Person to person contact has practically become a lost art, as text messaging and instant messaging have been replacing the human voice, driving us further and further away from each other, in spite of ourselves.  This isolation factor has caused an emotional void that has been slowly seeping into our culture, having the most adverse effect on the young people who are growing up assuming that electronic pulses and digital messages are sufficient forms of communication.  These young people are spending more time shooting off text messages to one another than they are using their voices, eyes and body gestures to convey what they want to say.  Cyberbullying has become a growing concern among teens, as they appear to lack empathy and compassion in their electronic communication.  It’s almost as if they don’t or can’t relate to the fact that there is a live person with feelings at the receiving end of their hand held communication crutch.

The lack of empathy and compassion through the use of electronic communication not only affects the teen population, but every other segment of society as well.  This digital replacement of the human form is supposed to keep people connected, but in fact, is doing the complete opposite; it’s actually causing a catastrophic disconnect instead.  Blackberry phones and iPods might as well be considered the body’s new appendages, as it becomes increasingly obvious that many people can or won’t function without one or the other either sitting in their ear or clipped to their belt.  This technology abuse is poised to ruin us if we don’t start putting matters into healthy perspective.

Technology Abuse Causes Spiritual Decline

I am not suggesting for a moment that these remarkable strides toward technological advancement don’t have their share of advantages and benefits.  In fact, we have progressed in recent years in ways in which we never would have been able to prior to this era.  But it is quite clear to me that this new technology is being abused to the point where it has become so blatantly unhealthy, and I fear that the situation is only going to get worse.
In a society where stress and irritability play a major role in our everyday lives, we are slipping into a mode of self-preservation.  After all, we are all looking out for our own sense of well-being and the well-being of the people whom we love.  But what about the people we don’t even know?  The world is full of lonely, desperate souls.  Their misery pervades society and that unhappiness infiltrates the universe.  After all, how can it not?  We are quick to acknowledge that one happy person entering a room has the ability to change the overall energy in that room.  So my question is, if one person can move the energy in a single room, why wouldn’t it be conceivable that the millions of people in the world, on a much larger scale, would possess the same capability?

The world is a dangerous place today.  Humanity is suffering on a global basis to the extent that all of us, in each of our tiny corners of the Earth, can feel the pull of irritability and restlessness.  Morals are dissolving into the twisted notion that anything goes, as long as it feels good.  The threat of blowback and repercussions that in previous eras would have been the result of deviation from morality is practically being scoffed at, ignored, and even worse – challenged.  There is a fine line between right and wrong and people’s sense of virtue and dignity is at high risk for collapse.  No one feels accountable anymore, and the effect that this warped sense of dismissal is having on our culture is downright deplorable.  Humanity is slowing sinking into the pit of decadence and deception, and we have only ourselves to blame.

I started to Pray the Holy Rosary in order to turn my life around and experience a sense of peace and well-being that I desperately craved.  The Rosary has enabled me to put things in perspective in my life and it has given me a sense of spiritual balance and inner joy that wasn’t there before I started to pray it on a regular basis.  I knew that my spirituality was adversely affected from a variety of factors, not the least of which was my growing dependence on my mobile phone and the Internet.  I made some personal vows, reversed some bad habits and prayed daily that I would get myself back on track again.  I quickly learned through the power of the Holy Spirit that technology abuse was another subtle way that Satan was attempting to lure me into one of his many evil traps.  Thanks to Mary, he lost another round in his malicious game.

Top Photo by: Ed Yourdon
Bottom Photo by: Ed Yourdon


http://therosarytrail.com