Now the soulish man is not receiving those things which are of the spirit of God, for they are stupidity to him, and he is not able to know seeing that they are spiritually examined.
1 Corinthians 2: 14, Concordant New Testament
The other day I found myself wandering through the gym I go to and noticed an alarming trend. Now, I was already aware of the influx of the digital universe on our society, but it's interesting to see it first hand. As I did my gym thing, I noticed more than a few youngsters playing on their phones. No doubt they were immersed in their daily dose of alternate reality. This topic of internet addiction is something which I can speak to as I have already had my go at being addicted to the internet. As far as addictions go, I would say that most people would deny that they are addicted to their digital devices. Yet these are the very same people who spend over half of their waking hours worried over how the meta universe perceives them. Look on any social media platform and you will see millions of people jockeying for the favorable opinion of people whom they have never even met. Again, I've been there. I've experienced the high of having so many others look at me with approval. But it turns out what they were approving of wasn't really me. That man so many others were approving of was just the man I wanted others to see. He was the cool dude who had everything under control. He was the confident, attractive guy everyone wanted to know. That is all part of the lie of social media. When we're engaged in the meta universe we can create our own reality. We are what we want those around us to see. In the midst of my porn addiction, I also dabbled in the early days of the online meta universe. Most youngsters these days have never heard of the first chat rooms that plagued the internet. Back then, an alternate reality was as easy as creating a profile you wanted to be known as. Once you had your profile, you could commence to surfing through the various chat rooms to chat up other chat folk. Of course, you couldn't tell who the person on the other end of the line was, but you were hoping it was an attractive woman...or man. That was the nature of these forums back in the day. This was the start of the meta universe.
They are of the world; therefore they are speaking of the world, and the world is hearing them.
1 John 4: 5, Concordant New Testament
I've often wondered what the reaction of most people would be should their meta universe be taken away from them for any extended period of time. The sitcom TV teenager who goes into cold sweats when their parents restrict their use of their electronic devices describes this generation Z perfectly. I've known parents who gift their pre-teen kids with cell phones at ages as young as 11 years old. So, from a pretty young age, our kids are not only dabbling in the meta universe, but more than likely engaging in more than they are telling us. There have been countless stories of young children seduced online by those meaning to do them harm. Knowing the alternate reality of the meta universe, it's easy to see how an impressionable child could be lured into danger by a would be sexual predator. For their part, the parents of these kids are seldom aware of what their kids are dabbling in. These are kids who could be searching for the acceptance and approval they feel they are not getting at home. It's the perfect hunting ground for deviants. This is what I tell those of the younger generation whenever they ask me why they don't see me spending time on my phone. I've been there. These days, I'm assured in the reality of who I am. My worth and value is not at all gauged by the acceptance of those in the meta universe. My reality is in Christ Jesus {Galatians 2:20}. Through Him I know the truth of who I am. The beautiful part of that is, I didn't need the meta universe to convince me.
~Scott~
No comments:
Post a Comment