Ya, I get it. It’s all about money, it’s all about the technology, it’s all about being with the in group, on-line, wa-hoo.
Ya, no, it’s really not. It’s about some integrity, some real life practices and frankly cutting the nonsense. Can on-line games be a nice “occasional” diversion? OK, sure, but really? And of course, the practitioners will claim that this is nice, detached, clean good fun. Ya right! It’s a waste of time (and the older I get the more I realize how valuable time is and how much there is to do in the world). Remember when children used to be out and about, getting exercise, not killing their eyesight on a computer screen, getting genuine exposure to socialization and leadership? Ya, those days are gone and now we degenerate in to this cyber space, phoney, non-real life.
Case in point, we have Markus Persson, the founder of “…Minecraft, the bestselling computer game of all time…with 100 million downloads and counting a canvas for human expression…” (Ryan Mac, David M. Ewalt and Max Jedeur-Palmgren, Forbes Mag Mar 23, 2015 p 48) Obviously I use cyber-space for creativity, and used in perspective, great, but the founder of this obviously buys into the phoney world of cyber-space and has no problem conveying that to whoever will buy into his fantasy land. While he is described as “polite, plainspoken and private… his on-line persona is described as “…a loudmouth … a deity-like figure to millions of gamers … establishing and clarifying the rules with Zeus-like authority.” Really?! And how we use the word “gamer” as someone who has some actual talent, acumen, or physical ability is astounding. You may be good at this, but really what are you good at?
To his credit, he has walked away from what seems like an Orwellian 1984ish big brother person, but no doubt taking away hundreds of millions of dollars with him and the prospect of more royalties. From suckers who think they’re actually doing something.
Predictably, even as early as the second grade he was socially inept. Heavens his parents moved when he was in second grade, doodness, I went to seven different schools, from Connecticut to Maine, before I graduated from high school, which interestingly Persson didn’t, graduate from high school. In what is becoming more common he simply fled to his PC. As, another common phenomenon of contemporary society; his parents divorce, father addicted to alcohol and drugs and his younger sister took drugs and ran away from home. All of this pretty common in Sweden, a society held up by the world as some sort of ideal, which has dangerously high rates of substance abuse, suicide and general dysfunctionality. Hmmmm, dysfunctionality abetted by computers? And yet, there he is a multi-millionaire who has presumed to exercise “Zeus like authority” in the same vein as Orwell’s 1984, uneducated, socially inept, possibly some business acumen, but essentially no other discernable skills except that he can write code, and millions sit in rapt attention to his every word??? Millions of mothers allowing their children to sit at a computer and take all this in. In what way, shape, form or manner is anyone claiming that his is healthy. Oh I’m sure I hear too many clueless moms saying “well they’re not in trouble or getting hurt…” They’re the same parents who feel that church is somehow harmful, but computer games alright. Oh yeah, society has become more bizarre and clueless.
Ya, the diatribe is over. How do we as Christians in the workplace, having to live in a healthy society, one with healthy values and integrity respond to this vacuous, clueless, valueless, situation? We have to get some control over what we do on-line. Cyber-space is not the be all, end all of existence. Heck, what on earth did we do, even up to the last thirty years, not even 1 percent of recorded human history.
Christian parents get your kids offline, send them outside, it’s good for them, and helps to build true adults. Don’t cave in because children have to deal with trial, it’s good for all of us, helps us to grow and mature.
As people in the workplace? As I said, it’s all about money, or is it? I sure don’t have the answers, except that we as Christians need to stop feeding into this mindset. There is so much more to life, God has given us so much, what can we do to inspire, to raise expectations, to stop caving in to the continued dictation of a world that wants us and our children to sit at a computer and take orders from an otherwise clueless computer addict/geek. It won’t change tomorrow, but let’s start changing our own perspective and step out of the world’s.
Wednesdays we get together to discuss how we live as Christians in the workplace. Dr Gene Veith has written a great book about living our vocations in the world, still faithful to our Savior Jesus Christ. 10am, the coffee shop at the corner of W King St and Beaver Sts in downtown York. Park behind the church at 140 W King St. Newcomers? I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.