Will you be giving up technology for lent?
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M$5 Answers
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M$Technology would result in a lot of things being given up for lent - no TV, no Computers, no Internet, no Phones, no Mobile, no Heating, no Electricity, no Transport etc. The term "technology" is too broad - so practically you are giving up a lot of things that we take for granted. However, it is possible to give up one of these luxuries.
I have given up my mobile phone, and so far I am lasting well. However, it means I am relying a lot on my home phone and the internet - the things I use my phone for the most.
cjd
PS: Although those Catholic bishops think we should give up technology - are they realising the scale of what they are wanting people to do. Maybe they should rephrase what they have said!
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M$
Your right - because I doubt they would be able to give up everything as well!
In regards to your PS, maybe they just wanted to leave it broad to leave people as much room to interpret as they wanted. I doubt they would really expect us to give up EVERYthing... but maybe they're hoping that one item on the list (one website, one piece of technology, etc.) will ring home and we'll say oh yeah, that's a good idea, I can give that up. I know when I was a kid, my mom would have to suggest about a dozen things for me to give up before I could finally pick one.
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M$By the way, here's a link to an article with a little more info: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/04/world/main4843617.shtml
The article you linked to left out things like:
- "It's a small way to remember the importance of concrete and not virtual relationships," the Modena diocese said in a statement. "It's an instrument to remind us that our actions and lifestyles have consequences in distant countries."
- "The Turin diocese is suggesting the faithful not watch television during Lent. In the northeastern city of Trento the church has set up a "new lifestyles" calendar that proposes different changes in everyday life for each of the period's five weeks.
Some ideas include: Leave cars at home and hop on a bike or a bus; refrain from throwing chewing-gum on the street and start recycling waste; enjoy the silence of a week without the Internet and iPods."
- "Benedict praised social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace for forging friendships and understanding, but cautioned that online networking could isolate people from real social interaction."
The Pope is well-intentioned, I would say. What he's suggesting just isn't my style, that's all.
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M$
Hi,
Interesting response. I too am a Catholic, but I try and do a lent promise mainly as a way of testing myself more than because of my religion. I like how you said "I have to want something to really do it and do it well" that should be everyone's approach as we should all be sticking with the promises rather than setting to difficult ones which we easily break.
cjd
The last part of what Benedict said I totally agree with and have for decades. I would have gone one farther and included the whole of the internet. We know people on the other side of the planet better then we know our next door neighbors.
@cjd I used to be Franciscan... slept on the floor, lived in 104 degree heat on the top floor of a humid city building with no air conditioning, ate only the food that was donated to me. I actually really enjoyed living like that. There was less clutter in my life and more time to focus on myself, God, and the people around me. And I had a good work ethic, nothing was easy, I had to force myself to do what I needed to do and trudge through the difficulties to get it done.
I know that lent is supposed to be similar... suffering with Christ through His passion and death, testing ourselves and our willpower and our self-control... I guess it's ironic that I've never been much of a lent person, I could live like that but not give something up for a few weeks! *shrug* I don't get how I work sometimes.
@thelastscionspeaks This is true, I've been living in the new house I'm renting for 6 or 7 months and have never once spoken to my neighbors... I rarely even see them. But there's people across the world who know me inside and out, probably as good as or even better than my family knows me.
I'll never forget back in New York while I was growing up, when the entire east coast lost power. It got too hot indoors and everyone was outside. We had battery-powered radios blasting music. Our food was going bad so we all pulled our BBQs out to the street and shared everything from BBQ'd hotdogs and hamburgers to BBQ'd Chinese food. It was like one big block party. We went from door to door, hanging out on each other's steps. Everyone looked horrible, sweaty and greasy, dressed in the skimpiest clothes we could find, and nobody cared.
The second someone yelled THE POWER'S BACK!, we all cheered and ran inside to turn on our air conditioners, TVs, and computers... and we never did have a big community time like that ever again. I almost wished the power would go back out.
No.
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M$
I won't disagree with this statement Morriss. I also rated it helpful because you appeared to have answered the question. I took "no" as a reply to the question and since it was addressed it is not unhelpful. The comments on the patriarchs of the church however did paint a huge bulls eye on your chest. Your reply seems more motivated by a personal conflict you are having with the church and less with the topic at hand. You should elaborate more on why you're not going to use technology. Unless what you are saying is because of the events stated you will not be adhearing to the Bishops suggestions. I would understand that. And, personally I am accepting that as the reason unless you state otherwise. peace...
Sorry about that folks. I had just read a news story about a bishop hiding child molestation problems and then there was the story about the Archbishop of Brazil. It just seems like there is so much hypocrisy in the Catholic Church these days. I don't think that abortion is a good method of birth control.
Why can't the Church ever lead in the technological area? Why didn't the first net community begin at the Vatican? Why didn't the first podcasts? Why didn't the Vatican begin the One Laptop per Child program? Teaching the Word of God is not supposed to be the end of their work, it's suppose to be the beginning. Its Galileo all over again.
I know I'm bitter about a lot of things too. But the Catholic church has rules on abortion... very strict ones. I'm not saying that I agree with the Catholic church, either their stance or what they're saying about this case, I'm just saying that if an institution has rules they do have to enforce them otherwise they're meaningless.
And uhm, sorry but, I don't see how an issue on abortion has anything to do with giving up technology for lent. It's a different discussion for a different question.
@angilla If, I was a smart Vatican I would have made a statement that they wished people to give up technology based in the premise that technology has become the focus of societies and that to surrender the "technological golden calf" would serve to reaffirm your faith and dedication to Christ and the Church.
That is if I was the Vatican... I'm not though...So...there that is then...
@thelastscionspeaks I've done a little looking into this whole coltan thing, and I guess I can understand why the Pope would mention it. We should know if something we're using is funding a civil war, moving 10,000 people into a rainforest that's the only okapi preserve in the world, and putting the already endangered mountain gorilla more at risk. But did he really have to tie it into lent? I don't think so.
http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/congo_basin_forests/problems/mining/coltan_mining/
http://www.cellular-news.com/coltan/
Lent, in my opinion, shouldn't focus on news or political reasons. It should be about ourselves and God. If I were Vatican (which, well, I suppose I'm glad I'm not!) I would've focused on pushing Catholics to use technology mostly for religious resources (watching The Passion, guides for Stations of the Cross, etc.) and then spending more time in silence or out in the "real world" helping and interacting with the people around us. Volunteer with a homeless shelter, take a walk, etc.
I guess they're hoping that without technology, people would get bored and get out more... read the paper, talk to people, hear about stuff in stores. I guess that way, they'd hear about it eventually.
Granted, things always get messed up between what the Vatican says and what the media thinks the Vatican says. They're always looking for a way to take a stab at Christians and make them look foolish. So I wonder what an actual Catholic source would say the reason is... probably something about all the gidgets and gadgets in our lives making so much noise and taking up so much of our time that we never have time to close our eyes and just think and be anymore. So it was probably some sort of a message for Catholics to shut the clutter out of their lives and focus on themselves and their relationship with Christ to prepare for Easter.