Friday, September 9, 2011

Technology Destroys Relationships


The great San Diego County blackout has convinced me that technology destroys relationships.  We lost power yesterday for seven hours. As soon as the power went out, a bunch of the neighbors gathered out in the street and talked for over an hour. We have never done that before. We caught up on each other's lives and saw how big the children have grown.

Later, Cassi and I took our daily 45 minute walk around the neighborhood ~

Neighbors were gathered in the streets sitting in their lawn chairs, drinking beer, talking and laughing..NEVER have seen that before...

Children were riding bikes and playing in the streets...usually we see a couple of children but we saw MANY...

The swimming pools were packed full of children with parents sitting around the pools chatting with each other... normally the pools are empty...

Couples were out strolling and talking while pushing their babies in a stroller...

Doors and windows were wide open so we could hear the families actually talking to each other instead of televisions blaring...NEVER saw this before...

People were out on their balconies talking and enjoying the views...NEVER saw them on the expensive balconies that they had built before...

The parks were full of children laughing, screaming and playing...We've NEVER seen children in the parks...

There were cars everywhere.  There was no place to go so people were home...There are usually some cars but not nearly this many...

People together ~  Laughing, talking, swimming, playing, eating, and sharing life together...

A woman who cut my hair years ago, remarked that America had lost it's soul.  She was raised in a very poor country materially but was rich relationally.  Now I fully understand what she meant...

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. 
I Thessalonians 5:11

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness
Hebrews 3:13