but then I realized that through my use of technology I really was precluding verbal and face to face interactions. Through prayer and serious reflection I went for the no email, no blogging, no facebook, no texting Lent.
The first few days were really rough. Not the withdrawal as much as it was the fact that I had a retreat for the youth group that weekend and I was the organizer. Almost all the details were done by then, but people still needed information from me and things were a little tense. The following week was spring break and that seemed to go really well. Because of my phone I cannot help but see text if they arrive, but I would respond through a phone call. I had turned my email function off my phone and never opened the entourage application on my computer. I just avoided facebook and obviously blogging.
After spring break it seemed that my lent had become others’ frustration. My office door had become a makeshift bulletin board where people would tape up their emails to me on my door. Needless to say I felt my experience was beginning to fail. My goal was verbal communication yet no one wanted to play along. On my email automatic response I put my phone number. Hardly anyone called that would normally text or email. It was really crazy.
I felt somewhat guilty that my decision had caused others more work, time, and inconvenience. I kept following my guidelines and reflecting.
Reflection and prayer seemed to calm me most days and allow me to see a bigger picture. By the fourth or fifth week I had begun to hardly turn my computer on. I was getting so much done in much better time and my experience with people was becoming so much richer.
My sacrifice of the technology that was blocking relationships was actually beginning to open my up to new things and helping me to rely upon “real” interaction with people rather than virtual.
The sacrifice was tough. At first many people made jokes about how giving up these things was not a sacrifice, but a blessing. And as I have told people my story I have heard bondage language when referring to technology. People really believe that there is no way they could give up email and survive. I believe that you can give it up and thrive. You have to be willing to look beyond the tools to see a better purpose.
-Mercer
