In today’s modern culture, we are distracted from being present to each other through technology. How many of you have been in a conversation with someone and then take out your phone to check your messages, or take a phone call or check your social media? We are all so disconnected from one another when we were built to be connected with each other. The person you are talking to has a unique soul and that is beautiful! Neither of you will exist again, each of you is unique, unrepeatable and wanted.
There is a connection crisis in today’s society, people have a hard time being connected to one another. Diane Sawyer’s Screen Time Special Report sought to explore the effects of screen time in our every day lives. Screen time surrounds us all. The average person spends 49 days per year on their phones. People typically unlock their smartphone more than 80 times per day. Some children present distracting and destructive behaviors when parents attempt to limit access to screen time. The potential psychological side effects impact all demographics.
So how can we combat this crisis? Practical tips like turning off your phone when you meet up with someone, so you are 100% present. Putting your phones on the table when your out with friends to eat. All these small steps help improve being connected with one another.
In chapter 6 of the Book of Sirach, we are told a ‘faithful friend is a secure refuge. Whoever has found one has found a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond all price. We cannot buy friendship. It’s beyond all price’. God is love, so we’re made to love and to be loved. That’s what friendship is about. That’s what enables us to become full human persons, as we learn to love, to give ourselves to others and to be loved, to receive from others, we begin to grow more and more into the full human being that God calls us to be. As faithful friends we need to ensure we are present and connected with each other.
