Virtual Reality vs Spirituality

Another Mormon Message I haven't seen before. Not quite as dramatic as the last one, but still good, and very applicable. The message comes to us from Elder David A. Bednar, and the message is titled Things As They Really Are. That's kind of a vague title. Personally, I would change it to Virtual Reality vs Spirituality. Hold on, I can probably embed this one, too.




These things are working, right?

Anyhow, for the first half of this video, I'll admit I was kind of only half listening. This was all stuff we've heard before. When is he going to say something new? Exactly two minutes into the video.

I offer two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful study. Question number one: Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life? Question number two: Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve, in meaningful ways?

I'd like to delve into both of these questions, but I'd also like to leave for school in a little less than an hour. I'll see what I can do.

Question One: Does it invite or impede the Holy Ghost?
My first thought was that technology impedes the Holy Ghost. If we're paying attention to what the electronic boxes are telling us, we're probably not paying attention to the Spirit. The short version of the story is that too much technology is bad. Right? Wrong.

As Elder Bednar said just before asking the questions, "Please understand, I am not suggesting all technology is inherently bad; it is not." Electronic devices are not inherently bad, and the Spirit is not automatically offended every time we connect to the internet. But some uses of technology is offensive to the Spirit, and giving too much attention and devotion to even the harmless uses of technology can lessen our sensitivity to the Spirit. It's not that technology is bad; it's that we use it wrong. Some might argue that the internet is evil, that it was invented by the devil for the selling and distribution of pornography. There may be other enthusiasts who say that is a divine gift, that it was given to us from God for the sharing and strengthening of testimonies.

It's all in how we use it. Some use it for good and invite the Spirit by doing so; some use it for evil and thus drive away the Spirit. Naturally, God wants us to use technology for good.

Question Two: Does it enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve?
Again, my first thought was in the negative. I was thinking that every hour we spend on the internet is an hour we didn't spend playing board games with our families or serving in a soup kitchen. Every conversation we have through texts and emails is a conversation we didn't have face to face and heart to heart. Again, I was thinking that technology was bad, and once again, I was wrong.

Let's continue that correcting quote from Elder Bednar. "Please understand, I am not suggesting all technology is inherently bad; it is not. Nor am I saying we should not use its many capabilities in appropriate ways to learn, to communicate, to lift and brighten lives, and to build the church."

There are good ways to use technology. Not just neutral, but good. We can use it not only "to learn, to communicate," which are both usually good things, but also "to lift and brighten lives," which is always a good thing. We can do a great deal of good through technology. Yet, there are also many cases in which we can to even more good face to face and heart to heart.

It's all in how much we use it. Some people go online and do some good electronically; some people go outside and do some good personally. I believe that for most people, God wants us to do both.

If we spend all our time doing good through thechnology, we miss many opportunities to do good in person (and vice versa, but I doubt anyone has that problem. Actually, I doubt that anyone has either problem because it's virtually impossible to spend all your time doing good, online or in person. But I think you know what I mean).

The true short version of the story is that God wants us to do as much good as we can through every method He has made available to us, including, but not limited to, technology. By posting this message, I hope to do at least some good electronically, but now I'm going to go outside and see if I can do some more good in person.