My brother Joel grew up
with six sisters. He survived thanks to
his sarcastic sense of humor. Whenever
one of us girls started thinking a little too much of ourselves, he had a quick
comeback: “Oh, go punch your hero card.”
Fast-forward 20 years or
so to January 2013. The data from the
latest American Freshmen Survey, which has surveyed millions of college
freshmen in the U.S. since the 1960s, were released. The results?
1)
College students are
more likely than ever to consider themselves gifted and likely to succeed.
2)
Students’ test scores
and the time they spend studying are at an all-time low.
A similar study of young people
showed that their tendency toward narcissism has soared 30 percent in the last
thirty-odd years. Others have
interviewed teens regarding the future.
Consistently, over half of the young people polled wanted to be famous
more than anything else.
Are we surprised? Facebook turns teens into faux celebrities
with hundreds of “friends.” Twitter
users can pretend they are worth following, “as though they have real-life
fans, when all that is really happening is the mutual fanning of false love and
false fame.”[1] Computer games allow children and teens to
pretend they are Olympians, sharpshooters, and everything in between. Reality TV shows glorify self-absorbed
individuals with no real claim to fame. In
short? “We are raising a generation of
deluded narcissists.”[1]
Now, those of you know me personally might
think I’m waging an attack on electronic gadgets or social networking. After all, I’m not on Facebook. Not on Pinterest. I’ve never “tweeted” anything. As far as video games go…well, we don’t even
own a TV. We got our first cell phone
this past summer, and I’m still not sure which button turns the dumb thing
on
.
That being said, I’m not
excluding myself from the mad pack of deluded narcissists. This blog is intended to be a means
of keeping loved ones up-to-date on our family, but it can abruptly morph into
my own little hero card. Here’s my (edited, idealized) life. Because I think my life is worth
“liking.” “Worth “linking.” “You’re such a good writer, Sarah!” (Punch!)
“Beautiful photo, Sarah!”
(Punch!)
Now, a narcissist doesn’t need the Internet
or electronics, but these things enable us to create a “virtual reality” over
which we have complete control…until that idealized existence ends up owning
us. Instead of going to God as we encounter
daily trials and joys, we post them Facebook or blog about them.
And things that God intended to be private, maybe even sacred? Too often they’re aired openly, for any
“friend” to see. Before you know it,
you’ve made yourself the star of your very own virtual reality show. No wonder our children are becoming more and more self-absorbed - they're learning from our example.
I know that the
technology available to us can be used to encourage one another, to spur one
another on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). I’m thankful for that. More often, though, when I’ve wasted precious
time on-line, I can’t help but think of the idle young women Paul mentions in I Timothy 5 – the ones who wander from house to house, tattlers
and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. Today’s
technology facilitates those sins without even exiting one’s own front door.
The
Bible uses a different word to denote our undue fascination with
ourselves. Idolatry - the
pursuit of anything other than the glory of God as one’s purpose for being. We are as much idolaters as is the man in
Isaiah 44 who prostrates himself before a piece of wood. We make gods out of men – whether ourselves or
another – and the works of men’s hands – whether our own or another’s.
But there’s hope for
us. While we might spend hours crafting
our user profile, Jesus Christ made Himself of no reputation. He was no idolater. He died that you and I might be set free from
our absorption with ourselves to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Praise Him!
Do so by using the time and the technology at your disposal to seek
His glory and not your own.
I've also heard the brother say "Do you want a cookie?" in a situation like that. :-)
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