Thought for the week: Importance of person-to-person contact over digital relationships
Last week, a young friend said to me – with some sadness - that we are all living more and more in a world of ‘digital’ relationships rather than in a world of person-to-person relationships.
We often text or use 'WhatsApp' rather than phone someone. We may shop on Amazon and have it delivered the next day, rather than inquire about something from the owner of a local shop. We are even encouraged to donate to a charity by texting a number shown on the TV rather than by chatting to someone from that charity.
This way of living daily life is the exact opposite of how Jesus lived. You probably know the story of Jesus calling Matthew to be one of His followers, and followed that up by going to his home for a meal (Luke 5.29). Or the time when He deliberately reached out to touch and heal a man who was ‘untouchable’ because he had a nasty skin disease. (St Luke 5.13)
People mattered so much to Jesus that He came to live among us, experience life with us in all its messiness, and then die and rise from the dead to deliver us.
There is an immense and daily challenge to every one of us, whether we are followers of Jesus or not, to avoid seeing or making ‘digital’ relationships as the normal way with which we engage with others.
Yes, I do use the ‘digital’ world a lot. I do have a smartphone, and it does get a lot of use almost every day. You will not be surprised to know that I really do have a copy of the Bible on it. And your ability to read this article is totally dependent on the digital internet connection between my computer and the offices of the Belfast News Letter.
Yet earlier tonight, just before writing this piece, I arranged to meet two separate people with whom I have never had a person-to-person conversation. And I did use my phone to make the arrangements. But that is as far as I think it should go.
We could discuss matters by email, but how much better to honour each other by taking the time and making the effort to share a coffee/meal together. And the discussion will be so much better and richer.
My reason for writing this article is to suggest that you personally might follow up on my friend’s comment – are you living more and more in a world of ‘digital’ relationships rather than in a world of person-to-person relationships? Is the phone getting too much attention? Is prayer becoming less important than using WhatsApp? Is conversation by text replacing conversation with people?
In a word, do you need to rediscover and follow the example of how Jesus connected with other people – person to person and often over a meal? That is something I need to keep at the forefront of my mind all the time.