Too many screens

Long day, lots of e-mails. The upcoming issue of the proposed changes to the charter of my alma mater, Hendrix College, has consumed me somewhat over the past few days. Through blogging, e-mailing, and telephone conversations, I have spent a lot of time on this issue. I'm really happy that people are taking notice and taking the time to get in touch. That's a good sign. On the other hand, I haven't been doing much else!

I want to take a break from the Hendrix discussion to point to my new column in the United Methodist Reporter. I've missed a couple of issues because of the Reporter's heavy coverage of General Conference, but Gen-X Rising returns in the newest issue with my piece on 'Bucking the TV tendency'. In this article, I look at the role that our connection to electronic screens plays in our day-to-day lives.

This might seem like a non-issue at first glance, but I think it has a pretty profound effect on the way we think about human relationships. Whether it is your cell phone, iPod, laptop, or whatever, the screen that you communicate with throughout the day is designed to make your life more pleasurable/convenient/ easy. But the thing about your interaction with screens is that you are always the master, and the relationship is always one-way (in the sense that you can control the screen you are using or turn it off when you want).

Because we are so formed as human beings by our daily habits, the role that electronic screens plays in our lives has repercussions for how we understand relationships in general. And that, of course, has a lot to do with how we think about our lives as friends of Jesus and friends of each other.