Fielder’s Choice - Barry Burleson


Thursday, July 30, 2009
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Fielder’s Choice
By Barry Burleson

Too much technology?

When I went to my high school alumni banquet a month or so ago, classmates urged me to get on Facebook.

I figured I am looking at a computer screen several hours a day in my newspaper work and wasn’t interested in adding more computer looks to my leisure time.

I love modern technology but despise it, too, at times.

I prefer the basic cell phone, while everyone around me is switching to the iPhone. I text occasionally.

A few weeks ago, I allowed my wife to set me up a Facebook page. Believe it or not, I’ve attracted a host of friends, including several from my high school days.

But I’m still not sure how to operate all the gadgets available on the page. I look at the postings about once a day but hardly ever comment.

Then Sunday late I saw a few friends available on my Facebook “chat room” and decided to talk to them. It was actually nice “catching up” with a couple of people I had not talked to in a long time.

Pam says I’m probably addicted now.

Our addiction to technology carried me back to a lesson I heard recently, which featured “The Paradox of Our Time.” It is reprinted here.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of more food, but less nutrition. These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.

It is the time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

The author is Dr. Bob Moorehead, former pastor of Seattle’s Overlake Christian Church.

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