We might say, we are connected with so many neighbors, family, and friends; “Why, we have the Internet!” And this may be true, but is this community, is this connection. Does this suffice? Wikipedia says, “Since the advent of the Internet, the concept of community no longer has geographical limitations, as people can now virtually gather in an online community and share common interests regardless of physical location.” Even “Second Life” has community gatherings and church meetings.
I’m not here to knock the Internet. I love the fact that I can be on an empty train, all the while connecting to those I love via my blog or via Facebook, but if I look up from my iPad my actual world remains unchanged. I have developed a false sense of community through cell phones, Facebook, e-mail, texting, virtual worlds, etc… And all the while, I have allowed myself to become isolated. My life has become fragmented, resulting in a fearfulness of the other, of that big world out there moving at the speed of light.
I need to “defragment,” to stop the break down happening, the “fragmentation,” to use computer terms. The irony is, while the world is quickly becoming “one” on the wave of technology, I am becoming further separated from neighbors, family, and friends; more so than ever before, separated from the important ingredients of what sociologists call community.
There is a reason Christians for two thousand years have taught, ”Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
So, today I will hug a friend. Today I will spend time talking face to face with someone. Today I will plan a dinner with family. I will begin the road back to community.
