The Cell Phone Challenge
Adapted from a talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard
Can you handle the cell phone challenge?
"Do you have any personal quiet time?"
"Honestly, how much time do you spend every day on your cell phone or tablet...?"
I took up the challenge in my own life. I began to track how much time I spent 'scrolling' a day. I wanted to see if my smart devices were my servant or my master. I wanted to see if my phone was getting in the way of my relationship with family and friends, and with the Lord. The results were a rude awakening!
"My cell phone is amazing! Smartphones are truly smart! They provide us so many wonderful opportunities, including accessing information, getting map directions, sharing photos and messages, and even once in a while actually talking to someone."
Technology—like smartphones—are ever-changing, in some ways good and in some ways bad.
Differences between the Past and the Present
In the past, "the world changed rather slowly from one generation to another."
There was no light pollution like that which is currently "found in all our cities across the world... It is almost impossible to see the night sky as Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Elisabeth, Jesus, and the early Latter-day Saints did."
Past generations "also enjoyed a natural silence, especially [during] their nights... You can no longer go to a restaurant without music being played in the background. Even in remote forests in the world, the silence is often broken by the flight of a jet above in the sky...."
"I now ask you a question: Do you have any personal quiet time? I have wondered if those who lived in the past had more opportunity than we do now to see, feel, and experience the presence of the Spirit in their lives."
"Seemingly, as our world gets brighter, louder, and busier, we have a greater challenge feeling the Spirit in our lives. If your life is void of quiet time, would you begin tonight to seek for some? ... We simply have too many distractions to capture our attention, unlike any time in the history of the world... We all need time to ask ourselves questions..."
"Handheld devices, such as smartphones, [can] distract us from hearing the 'still, small voice.' They need to be our servants, not our masters. For example, if later tonight you share inspiring thoughts from this [blog] on social media, your smartphone is a servant. If you randomly surf the Internet, your smartphone is a master.
"Honestly, how much time do you spend every day on your cell phone or tablet, not including school or Church work?
"Their use is appropriate, and they are a blessing. However, when smartphones begin to interfere with our relationships with friends and family—and even more importantly, with God—we need to make a change. For some of you, the adjustment will be slight; for others, it may be significant.
"I am also concerned that excessive text messaging, Facebooking, tweeting, and Instagraming are replacing talking—talking directly one to another and talking in prayer with our Heavenly Father and thinking about the things that matter most in life."
The Challenge
When reading this talk, I decided to take the challenge. I would track just exactly "how much time [I spent] every day on [my] cell phone or tablet." As you're reading this, you might be thinking, like I was, "Oh, my needed adjustment will be small. I check my phone a couple of times a day; and it's always for a short time."
Let's see, you wake up each morning to the alarm set on your phone. You scroll through your Facebook feed, check your stocks, check your email, etc. Did you miss your morning prayers because of this scrolling? Not only so, but you just wasted 20 minutes 'randomly surfing the Internet; your smartphone is your master.'
Next you get ready and drive to work. And what do you do on your walk from your car to work? You scroll through more 'updates'. Another 10 minutes down the drain. Are you listening to the voice of the Spirit in those critically-important morning hours?
Do you check your phone at work? Should you?
Luckily, during lunch, I consistenly study my scriptures on my iPad. My tablet is my servant.
When you get home from work and sit down for dinner, what do you do? You scroll. Are you missing out on important family conversations? More time lost. Your cell phone is your master.
What would you do with an extra 1-2 hours a day?
Cell Phone Stimulus
Is smart device usage a stimulant? Almost certainly. Of course, not all stimuli are necessarily a bad thing. But 'scrolling stimuli' can easily lead to cell phone addiction. And it also allows for no times of rest or peace or stillness. If you are constantly checking your phone—and if doing so is a stimulant—then your mind has no time or ability to rest and 'be still' and hear the voice of the Lord in your life. We all need down time, 'brain-drain' time, so to speak. And I know for me, my cell phone has been impeding that time for stillness and peace.
Sacrament Meeting
"I also worry that some of you check your email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts or send text messages during the most important gathering in the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—our sacred sacrament meeting... You cannot connect to the Spirit during the presentation of the sacrament while looking at or sending a message on your smartphone or your tablet. [You can scroll through your scriptures at church]—but please, do not 'scroll' during the presentation of the sacrament. Surely, during those few minutes you can focus on the Atonement of the Savior as you seek the Spirit of the Lord to bless you for the coming week. And consider putting your smartphone or your tablet in airplane mode for the entire Sunday block. You will still have your scriptures, general conference talks, hymnbook, and manuals, but you will not be distracted by incoming text messages or push notifications."
Take the Challenge
Take the challenge. Track your time and usage, and see if your devices are your servant or your master. The needed adjustment might be slight or more significant.
Previous post about current issues >>>
Comments
Post a Comment