--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Michael Flatley" <untilbeyond@...> wrote: > > We've never seen an addiction this popular, or this addictive.... ever. > > People are sleeping with their device, and responding to shit in the middle > of the night. > It's more pervasive with the 15-25 year-olds.
I work with middle school aged children, and I can tell you that The Big problem right now is lack of sleep in many of our students. Most kids these days by middle school have their own flat screen TV's in their rooms, a cell phone and gaming systems in their bedrooms as well as their laptop. Do they sleep at night? No way. Kids are texting til 3 am, playng video games til 5 am, and then either can't get up to go to school,or arrive and fall asleep in class. This isn't going away, and parents don't seem to know what to do (lock up the items at night - cell, controls for games, laptop). Kids just cannot seem to stop. > > We were already addicted to media before social media. I guess this is how > humanity is becoming aware of the pitfalls of self-importance. > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > Interesting article, by Yasmin Mogahed, on Huffpost. I like it because > > it deals with one of the phenomena that has most struck me about > > Fairfield Life and similar cyberforums: how can people get so > > *obsessive* about "how they are perceived," and on a forum that is > > regularly read by maybe 20 to 30 people, most of whom they have never > > met? > > > > The answer seems to be (in this author's opinion) inherent in the medium > > itself, and the fact that it lures people into focusing on the self, > > that self's seeming importance, and its supremacy over other selves on > > the same forum. The mere fact that people can easily, using desktop > > technology, seem to control or "spin" their own self image entices them > > to do just that. People used to have to hire publicists to "spin" their > > images; now everyone can do it. And the "winner" in all these exercises > > in image control? The self. In other words, spending a great deal of > > time on cyberforums that entice one to focus on self may just be the > > worst enemy of self realization ever invented. > > Faith and Facebook: The Spiritual Pitfalls of an Online Existence > > <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yasmin-mogahed/facebook-the-hidden-dange_\ > > b_828928.html> We live in an iWorld. Surrounded by iPhones, iPads, > > MYspace, YOUtube, the focus is clear: Me, my, I. One need not look far > > to see this obsession with the self. In order to sell, advertisers must > > appeal to the ego. For example, many ads appeal to the part of us that > > loves power and being in charge. DirectTV tells you: "Don't watch TV, > > direct TV!" Yogurtland says: "You rule! Welcome to the land of endless > > yogurt possibilities, where you rule the portions, the choices and the > > scene." > > But advertisers aren't the only ones who appeal to our ego. There is a > > global phenomenon that provides a breeding ground and platform for that > > ego. And it's called Facebook. Now, I'll be the first to assert that > > Facebook can be a powerful tool for good. It is, like many other things, > > what you make of it. A knife can be used to cut food which feeds the > > hungry, or it can be used to kill someone. Facebook can be used for > > great good -- after all it was Facebook that helped facilitate the > > toppling of a dictator. Facebook can be used as a powerful tool to > > organize, call, remind and unite. Facebook can also be used to > > strengthen our connection to God and to each other ... or Facebook can > > be used to strengthen the hold of our ego. > > > > The Facebook phenomenon is an interesting one. In each and every one of > > us is an ego. It is the part of ourselves that must be suppressed (if we > > are to avoid Anakin's fate of turning to the dark side, that is). The > > danger of feeding the ego is that, as the ego is fed, it becomes strong. > > When it becomes strong, it begins to rule us. > > > > The ego is the part of us that loves power. It is the part that loves to > > be seen, recognized, praised, and adored. Facebook provides a powerful > > platform for this. It provides a platform by which every word, picture, > > or thought I have can be seen, praised, 'liked'. As a result, I begin to > > seek this. But then it doesn't just stay in the cyber world. I begin > > even to live my life with this visibility in mind. Suddenly, I live > > every experience, every photo, every thought, as if it's being watched, > > because in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "I'll put it on Facebook." > > This creates a very interesting state of being, almost a constant sense > > that I am living my life on display. I become ever conscious of being > > watched, because everything can be put up on Facebook for others to see > > and comment on. > > > > More importantly, it creates a false sense of self-importance, where > > every insignificant move I make is of international importance. Soon I > > become the focus, the one on display. The message is: I am so important. > > My life is so important. Every move I make is so important. The result > > becomes an even stronger me-focused world, where I am at the center. > > > > As it turns out, this result is diametrically opposed to the Reality of > > spiritual existence. The goal of that existence is to realize the Truth > > of God's greatness and my own insignificance and need before Him. The > > goal is to take myself out of the center and put Him there instead. But > > Facebook perpetuates the illusion of the exact opposite. It strengthens > > my belief that because of my own importance, every inconsequential move > > or thought should be on display. Suddenly what I ate for breakfast or > > bought at the grocery store is news important enough to publish. When I > > put up a picture, I wait for compliments; I wait for acknowledgement and > > recognition. With the number of likes or comments, even physical beauty > > becomes something that can now be quantified. When I put up a post, I > > wait for it to be 'liked'. And I am ever conscious of -- and even > > compete in -- the number of "friends" I have. (Friends, here, is in > > quotation marks because no one knows 80% of their "friends" on > > Facebook.) > > > > Facebook also strengthens another dangerous focus: the focus on other > > people, what they're doing, what they like. What they think of me. > > Facebook feeds the preoccupation with others' assessment of me. Soon, I > > enter the orbit of the creation. Inside that orbit, my definitions, my > > pain, my happiness, my self-worth, my success and my failure is > > determined by the creation. When I live in that orbit, I rise and fall > > with the creation. When the people are happy with me, I'm up. When > > they're not, I fall. Where I stand is defined by people. I'm like a > > prisoner because I have given up the keys to my happiness, sadness, > > fulfillment, and disappointment to the people to hold. > > > > Once I enter and live in the orbit of the creation -- rather than the > > orbit of God -- I begin to use that currency. See, the currency of God's > > orbit is: His pleasure or His displeasure, His reward or His punishment. > > But, the currency of the orbit of creation is: the praise and criticism > > of people. So, as I enter deeper and deeper into that orbit, I covet > > more and more of its currency, and I fear more and more of its loss. > > While I'm playing Monopoly, for example, I covet more and more of its' > > currency. And it feels great to be 'rich' for a moment. But when the > > game is over, what can I buy in the Real world with Monopoly money? > > > > The human currency of praise is Monopoly money. It feels great for a > > moment to collect, but when the game is over, it's worthless. In the > > Reality of this life and the next, it's worthless. But the deeper and > > deeper I enter into that orbit, the more I become consumed with gaining > > human praise, approval and recognition. The more I enter that orbit, the > > more I fear loss -- loss of face, loss of status, loss of praise, loss > > of approval. > > > > But the more I fear the people, the more I become enslaved. True > > freedom only comes when I let go of the fear of anything and anyone > > other than God. > > > > In a profound Prophetic teaching, a man came to the Prophet and said: "O > > Messenger of God, direct me to an act, which if I do, God will love me > > and people will love me." He said: "Detach yourself from the world, and > > God will love you. Detach yourself from what is with the people, and the > > people will love you." > > > > Ironically, the less we chase after the approval and love of the people, > > the more we gain it. The less needy we are of others, the more people > > are drawn to us and seek our company. This teaches us a profound Truth. > > Only by breaking out of the orbit of the creation, can we succeed with > > both God and people. > > So while Facebook is indeed a powerful tool, let it be a tool of your > > freedom -- not a tool of your servitude to yourself and the assessment > > of others. > > >
