In Sunday School this past Sunday, we discussed community. I was sitting at my table with my Bible cracked open to Acts 2 and I chuckled slightly to myself. Oh ho ho. Community? Really? I've got friends, I tell people my stuff, I'm not an antisocial shut-in (though this is debatable at times). Anywho, I was listening to the minister talk and he made some good points, but then he made a great point. He was talking about how this generation, my generation, is more connected than any of our predecessors...but we're also the loneliest. Like one of those perky, yappy dogs, my ears pricked up.
I gripe alot about pseudo-country. Many of the people who proclaim they detest country music have only been subjected to the odd hybrid that drives the cursed phrase "Need you now" into your skull and then hammers it mercilessly until you run screaming into the night. As Aaron Watson said, "Nashville is making music that sounds like a dadgum disco." Well, ladies and gents, we have on our hands a pseudo-community. Texting, twitter, blogging, the morning glory that is facebook, and the list continues. Through these venues, I can successfully talk to people without ever seeing their face, heck, without leaving my cave. I am as guilty as anyone about perpetrating false community. A prime example comes from this morning in my Eastern European government class: I was sitting next to a girl I had seen Sunday morning. I thought, "I should ask her how she liked Central!" In the next moment, I dismissed this thought and decided to find her on facebook and friend her. It's easier to ask virtually. As the prof babbled on about Hungary's bitterness from being the little bro in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, I chastised myself. Why shouldn't I just turn to her after class and ask her how she liked church? What is so hard about that? She'd probably appreciate it more if I asked in person. Besides, by the time I found her and friended her on the almighty FB, the moment would have passed and it would just be plain weird. As a result, I would never ask.
So, I put satan on notice and talked to her after class. It was nothing life changing, but it was a step in the right direction. The direction where I touch people and they touch me. The one where I experience.
If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get some Vitamin D. I hear it makes you happy.
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