Last week I watched an American movie titled “Hannah” that was about this young teen girl that was raised her whole life out in the wilderness by her father. Then she entered into our modern world all on her own. While this movie had many themes in it from DNA altering to loneliness and CIA assassins to friendship, there was one interesting scene that showed Hannah’s difficulty with adjusting to all the noise and chaos of the high levels of technology in our times. There was the buzzing of the lights and air conditioning along with the flashing lights of the television and the telephone that kept pulling Hannah’s attention around the room. Then the voices over the phone, over the television, and on the other side of the door drove her crazy.
Why doesn’t all of this drive us crazy? Not only are we used to the constant noise, but also for some of us we go crazy when there is no noise and when we don’t have access to some sort of device to keep us busy. As I write this essay lying in my bed typing on my wireless keyboard that connects me to my laptop and second screen, which I have to see better from farther away and because it is cool, I am also checking my phone that has access to my email and sports updates for the night, while listening to Switchfoot from my ipod. My experiences in my life also currently have me working in the woods 24 hours a day 5 days a week; in the woods without electricity and cell phones, in the woods lighted by kerosene lanterns and heated with firewood. Is one of these worlds better than the other? What do both of these worlds have to offer us?
I come to these questions with two ideas. We all are made to help the people around us and we can all make a difference in this world. If we focus on these we will become stronger and we will cause less hurt. In the woods where I work there are boys that have come and unplugged from everything else to help them grow. Many of my boys have problems with the relationships with their families, and with motivation to work on their education and help around the house. They have trouble building relationships with their families because they keep typing texts while their parents try to talk to them. The boys I work with don’t care about education or helping because they just want to watch the next episode of Family Guy or next Youtube video, or play the next level of Assassin’s Creed. Sometimes my boys text mom and tell her they are running a little late or that they love her.
I also live in a world that I have learned about children in Africa that are being forced to be soldiers from a movie and then I learned online how I can help these kids. While I was online I connect with my old friends that really needed someone to talk to. While I was online I missed out on talking to my friend in the other room and missed helping the kid that is being mistreated next door.
We are all going to be connected to something, whether it is our headphones or the person in our class that really needs a friend. Are we ready to plug into what really matters in the world? Are we looking for the person who needs our help and the opportunity to make a difference? What ever that is we need to go for it all the way. Wherever we are lets be fully there.
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