By Kaitlin Klein
Wonderful Adventure
Dear Smartphone,
Thank you for your never-ending newsfeed feature, accessible by a simple swipe of the screen! I now can know about an earthquake thousands of miles away, a traffic jam caused by a cow two states over, the top 10 reasons to eat sushi, the latest celebrity's favorite ice cream flavor, and how many species of alligators live in Florida. All of this — in a few seconds of a scroll. You have brought an infinite amount of knowledge I will never need, right to my fingertips.
Sincerely,
Kaitlin
In reality, I remember the wonderful day when I discovered I could remove my phone's default setting of swiping right to find a gaggle of news headings! But I do still have a search bar: If I'm curious about any little thing, the answer is seconds away. In fact, it almost seems like finding out our every curiosity is necessary. If I can, why not? Here's one reason to consider: It’s simpler not to. As Christians, we are not all called to the same level of simplicity as professed religious. However, we are called to simplicity of life in ways that clear the way for connecting with the Lord. Removing distractions is important. I don't need to fill my brain with useless information, but I do need to give my internal clutter to the Lord so that I can hear him better.
Scrolling, be it the news, Facebook, etc., releases dopamine, a "feel-good chemical" released in the brain, that can actually make us addicted to it. I'll state the obvious: There are better things we can do with our time than being addicted to scrolling. We only get one life; let's not waste it! We also often only read headlines or brief snippets of information, allowing us a false sense of "knowledge" and distracting us from deeper thinking and contemplation. In addition, as false as this may sound, vegging out on our phones is NOT true leisure; I'll save that for another column.
There can be a balance: finding a good news source for relevant information, researching what you discern is important to know, checking updates of a few friends — whatever you discern is positive for your life and still has meaning and leads you to holiness.
This is easier said than done! If scrolling may be a problem, one can keep a log (your phone might even keep track for you) of how much time is spent on certain apps. A simple removal of the never-ending newsfeed on your phone and removing notifications from social media apps are huge first steps in my opinion. Choosing a book instead of a screen, especially in the evenings, can allow for a fuller immersion in a topic as well as settle your mind before bed, without the extra screen light.
There are plenty of secular resources about the negative implications of too much screen time and the real possibility of becoming addicted to scrolling. Likewise, I believe it can greatly hinder our spiritual lives. The amount of stimulation many of us receive can lead to an almost reliance on constant input and difficulty letting it go to pray, to be in silence before God. Blaise Pascal said, "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." He wrote this in the 1600s! Today, I think it's safe to say that it would be difficult for many to sit quietly, with no phone or other stimulation, for an extended period.
But this is how we can be intimate with our Lord. By being silent, by removing distractions, by discerning about what stimulation and information we allow in our lives. We can simplify, grow in holiness, and grow closer to the one with whom we desire to spend eternity.