I’ve recently gotten back into the habit of sending birthday cards and just because cards. It was a habit I had before kids and even after my first but struggled to get back to after my second. Sometimes I’ll bring a stack of cards to adoration and write long messages in the silence. It’s become one of my favorite prayer practices lately.
I think the media is skewing everything. I mean, it always has, but now the media is with us 24/7. Don’t even get me started on televisions at gas pumps.
I do think there are very, very serious things wrong in the world worth lamenting. I also believe that God never created us to attend to everybody’s tragedies. He gives us OUR crosses, but too often I think we hide from our crosses behind an obsession with other people’s that we can’t affect.
It’s complicated in such a connected world. Who I buy my sweatshirt from CAN affect how a mom is or is not able to be present to her kids half a world away. Who I vote for (even when all the options suck) almost always means death or life for something, it’s just who lives and who dies changes on the vote.
And yet… we have to live our lives. And it’s so confusing.
I have pneumonia, so I’ve been online too much. But regardless of all of the above, I don’t think God wants us to live a life behind a screen.
Do we pick and choose our causes? (That’s what I’ve done.)
Do we try to stay cognizant, at least to some degree, of all going on in the world?
Do we focus on just what God put in front of us?
Do we go insane? (Always a possibility for me.)
One last thing about teens now that I know a lot of them. Yes, they are way way better and more interesting and insightful and compassionate and hysterical than I ever could have imagined. But also, yes, they are suffering intensely. Not all of them, but a lot of them and not just ones who are neglected or hide away behind phones all day. Even with the ones not addicted to their phones however are hurt by the internet. Algorithms are the place where teenage souls go to suffer. Why a girl should look up an innocent video to braid her sister’s hair only to be fed two videos later extreme dieting videos is beyond me and gives me rage I have never known in my life.
This is timely, as I got a text from a friend in the IS asking if things were really as bad over here (in the UK) as the media was making out. I was deeply puzzled by this, as I had spent a lovely few days visiting friends and seeing a bit of Oxford with them. I simply haven’t seen any headlines, so I didn’t know things were supposed to be “really bad.”
I enjoyed writing letters and I also have a box filled with memories from a simpler time. It's.different from todays emails and chats and it would have been wonderful if I can still have another box of these letters.
Katie, this is lovely. Thanks for writing it. I completely agree with your point about the conversations real life people are having off the internet--they're just not nearly as polarized or cruel as they are online. At least in my circle, lol. We got in like...an actual argument with some of our very best friends a couple of weekends ago about a political issue and it was hard and uncomfortable and there were hurt feelings but you know what? Everyone apologized + hugged. And still disagreed. But we're in community and love each other. It's so much easier offline.
Totally agree, Claire. I've had so much difficulty conveying tone on the internet, or even via text. Thank goodness for real-world relationships to humble us and challenge us we navigate these difficult topics!
Perspective is powerful! There is a lot going wrong and a lot going right and how we sift through all that information and make sense of it has a huge impact on our ability to work towards a better world and also maintain our joy and sanity! ❤️
It is a good reminder there is real life going on in every corner of the world outside of virtual algorithms telling you the sky is falling. In some places perhaps, but not all.
I’ve recently gotten back into the habit of sending birthday cards and just because cards. It was a habit I had before kids and even after my first but struggled to get back to after my second. Sometimes I’ll bring a stack of cards to adoration and write long messages in the silence. It’s become one of my favorite prayer practices lately.
I love this Krista!
I think the media is skewing everything. I mean, it always has, but now the media is with us 24/7. Don’t even get me started on televisions at gas pumps.
I do think there are very, very serious things wrong in the world worth lamenting. I also believe that God never created us to attend to everybody’s tragedies. He gives us OUR crosses, but too often I think we hide from our crosses behind an obsession with other people’s that we can’t affect.
It’s complicated in such a connected world. Who I buy my sweatshirt from CAN affect how a mom is or is not able to be present to her kids half a world away. Who I vote for (even when all the options suck) almost always means death or life for something, it’s just who lives and who dies changes on the vote.
And yet… we have to live our lives. And it’s so confusing.
I have pneumonia, so I’ve been online too much. But regardless of all of the above, I don’t think God wants us to live a life behind a screen.
Do we pick and choose our causes? (That’s what I’ve done.)
Do we try to stay cognizant, at least to some degree, of all going on in the world?
Do we focus on just what God put in front of us?
Do we go insane? (Always a possibility for me.)
One last thing about teens now that I know a lot of them. Yes, they are way way better and more interesting and insightful and compassionate and hysterical than I ever could have imagined. But also, yes, they are suffering intensely. Not all of them, but a lot of them and not just ones who are neglected or hide away behind phones all day. Even with the ones not addicted to their phones however are hurt by the internet. Algorithms are the place where teenage souls go to suffer. Why a girl should look up an innocent video to braid her sister’s hair only to be fed two videos later extreme dieting videos is beyond me and gives me rage I have never known in my life.
Not just teens are hurt by algorithms, either…
My favorite piece I’ve read on Substack in weeks!!
Loved this perspective so much! Thank you
This is timely, as I got a text from a friend in the IS asking if things were really as bad over here (in the UK) as the media was making out. I was deeply puzzled by this, as I had spent a lovely few days visiting friends and seeing a bit of Oxford with them. I simply haven’t seen any headlines, so I didn’t know things were supposed to be “really bad.”
I enjoyed writing letters and I also have a box filled with memories from a simpler time. It's.different from todays emails and chats and it would have been wonderful if I can still have another box of these letters.
Katie, this is lovely. Thanks for writing it. I completely agree with your point about the conversations real life people are having off the internet--they're just not nearly as polarized or cruel as they are online. At least in my circle, lol. We got in like...an actual argument with some of our very best friends a couple of weekends ago about a political issue and it was hard and uncomfortable and there were hurt feelings but you know what? Everyone apologized + hugged. And still disagreed. But we're in community and love each other. It's so much easier offline.
Totally agree, Claire. I've had so much difficulty conveying tone on the internet, or even via text. Thank goodness for real-world relationships to humble us and challenge us we navigate these difficult topics!
Beautiful
A very wonder-worthy thing.
Perspective is powerful! There is a lot going wrong and a lot going right and how we sift through all that information and make sense of it has a huge impact on our ability to work towards a better world and also maintain our joy and sanity! ❤️
This was a breath of fresh air to read.
Boy, did I need this right now. Thank you.
It is a good reminder there is real life going on in every corner of the world outside of virtual algorithms telling you the sky is falling. In some places perhaps, but not all.