January-March
It was a Monday in late August, the sky was crystal clear, and the sun shone as brightly as ever. Its radiance was so unbearable, in fact, not a single soul in my entire neighborhood—or probably in the entire city for that matter—found the idea of stepping outside and embracing the sunshine to be amusing.
Unfortunately, staying indoors wasn’t all that pleasing either at this point in time. Thus two of my friends and I, like most of my neighbors, found ourselves sitting under the shade of an open garage. With idle stares we scanned the road in front of the driveway, glancing at anything that moved, which for the most part was nothing but occasional speeding cars passing by.
This was the week after the unwelcome Hurricane Francis had smashed its way through central Florida, leaving all of us frustrated and unhappy with the results. Francis, a category four hurricane, had done quite a bit of damage, leaving people homeless, injured, and sadly, some even dead. In my case, and that of my friends, Francis had not killed us, but it most certainly had left us lifeless, so to speak. So much of our life had been interrupted by the hurricane that we wondered “what’s next.”
You see, for children of the twenty-first century, technology plays a major role in their lifestyle. Computers, cell phones, iPods, the Internet, all of these are key components that help keep our life technologically healthy.
On that hot summer day, however, we were far from healthy, and all thanks to the not-so-benevolent Francis which the week before had recklessly swept across the city, cutting out power in various neighborhoods, including ours. Now, it certainly doesn’t take a genius to figure out that when the power goes out, life for a twenty-first-century teen can get quite a bit complicated; like if it were the end of civilization. That’s pretty much how all of us felt that Monday.
As a result, my friends and I were sick and dying of boredom, and although generations before ours would have easily brushed off these technological needs, we found ourselves in dire and tragic circumstances. So the three of us sat, one holding a cell phone which had died an hour ago, another holding a laptop which was one bar away from suffering the same fate, and me—well, let’s just say, feeling very frustrated that our lives were as it had been “hijacked.”
What we were going to do then, none of us knew, but we all did feel like something had to be done.
Finally, after some time of coping with our tragic losses, we moved on, deciding to follow the advice of the older generation and revert to spending time together, communicating on a personal basis, without the cell phone and the Internet. As time passed, our misery began to give way. We began to let go of our loss and grasp our gain. We discovered how much we enjoyed our communications one on one, without the electronic devices. We did not have to press any keys, since we were not text messaging.
After a while, I realized we were actually having a great time. Surprisingly enough, we had begun to enjoy ourselves, forgetting about the heat, forgetting about our circumstances. Instead we took our situation and carved out of it our own simple lifestyle, one that didn’t require the complexity of technology. I felt as if I was experiencing a new kind of health, one that did not require the vain and material ingredients of the old, but instead relied on much more natural and wholesome ingredients; ingredients like friendship, companionship, positivity, and contentment.
To this day I haven’t forgotten that lifestyle which I am sure previous generations have cherished for lifetimes, and just that small glimpse of it, which I received that day, has led me to understand how much we have become technology dependent. The prophet of the Lord foresaw this coming, when he said that in the last days “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4). I also understood the importance of the personal interaction in my life. I have come to realize that though it is a great privilege and luxury to live with means of technology, under no circumstances can their value be compared to that of living by natural means, such as friendship, love, and joy.
Computer batteries and cell phone batteries run out of power, and then what? Can you call a friend? Can you send an e-mail? Yes, you can. I have a Friend with whom I communicate on a personal basis without cell phones and computers. Yes, no e-mails and no text messaging. I have an open line at all times. I can talk to Him with clear reception. My friend is holding His arms wide open to extend a hearty reception to you, too. He says; “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation” (Psalm 91:14–16). Lines are open now. He is waiting for your call.