How about electronics? We are a culture that is loaded up with electronic gadgets, widgits, etc. The push for these smart phones is through the roof these days. Media pushes everyone to have one and everybody is buying in. Sure they may cost a little more money, but isn’t it worth it? I won’t lie and say I don’t have a smart phone, but I know I have to be really careful on my usage. Check your email, your facebook, the scores, your twitter, your everything! Ever heard of the saying ‘The now network”? We are a generation of now, instant and impatient. We have access to everything on these devices, and when were without them we feel lost. When were without them we almost feel naked. What, its not in my pocket? I left my phone at home! Ever download a new game on a smart phone and get immediately hooked. Its like a trance, we don’t know where we came from or where were going, but this game.. I hear and read status updates about guys playing hours and hours on games that get them no where.
I have to be so careful, I can start racing on my phone and be hooked for who knows how long. Racing has always been one of my passions and it gets my blood flowing. The anticipation of the race, the unknown ability of other drivers, the opportunity to win! Once I start the race, I can feel my body tense up, I can sense the wild amount of concentration. I work in and around other cars, I take good turns and bad turns. When I win I feel this great sense of satisfaction, but if I lose or get wrecked I get legitimately angry. I get frustrated with myself for taking the turn incorrectly, I get mad at other cars for taking me out or I just use the intensity to race again. Only this time it will be harder, smarter and faster! Phew, all of this emotion for a game on the phone! Just imagine if I had actual game system. A system that could play on the big screen, a system that played in full HD. The cars would look more real, the tracks would be amazingly accurate, the handling would be outstandingly realistic. I could race online, establish credibility, become the fastest and best driver in the world! Yes, I could do all of this and probably do it very well. It is the nature of a man to want to succeed, to want to pull through and achieve victories. But I also know myself, and one of my passion verbs is ‘achieve’. I don’t want to experience failure, so I would push and push until I was the best. This same idea can be for any video game meant for the man and the man mentality. The problem is this, although I would be great at all of this, my marriage and personal life would completely fall apart. The game and all of its needs would pull me away from everything that is important. So I stay away. I know these truths about myself and I don’t allow them to have any part in my life. I have considered the idea of buying one many time, my wife has even offered as a possible Christmas present multiple times and thankfully it never went through. These are not the habits I want to establish or have dominating my life. The smart phone is bad enough as it is and is enough for me to wrestle with daily. Electronics are very cool these days, and always going out of date. Media always pushes us to get the latest and greatest device. This is of course the same tatics they used to get us to buy the first edition or earlier edition of the models. I’m not saying that electronics are bad, but we have to be careful to not let them dominate our time or lives. Make a choice to be aware of your usage and what is really important in life.
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