There’s an idea afoot that the human touch is no longer necessary in much of life. Automation is in, people are out. Retail stores have self checkout lines. Fast food restaurants have a touch screen kiosk to order your food in lieu of a cashier. Countless meetings are now conducted by video conference, rather than in person. We can’t leave out the so-called “artificial intelligence” craze. Siri and Alexa are there to answer your questions. Something called “Chat GPT” is apparently constructed to do your writing for you. I wouldn’t know about that one. I have too many words in my brain, so it’s really for the best that I type them out instead of ask a machine to create new words for me.
Yes, yes, yes! I'm on that bus with you, James, and I hope to Heaven we're headed away from fear and violence and isolation toward that Beloved Community envisioned by MLK. And it's always a special pleasure for me when you bring my man Wendell into the picture. Thank you for a beautiful, thought-provoking essay.
Thank you for your kind words and support. I am finding that when I turn my focus to the Gospel-centered works of folks like Wendell, MLK, and Thomas Merton, I simultaneously feel less bothered by politics and more energized for good work.
Fully agree James! "People are for sharing their humanity, no matter how frustrating and inefficient it might be to the economic order. People are for community." It seems so obvious, but yet so lost in general public awareness. I invited readers to join in community this month for a 'digital detox pilgrimage'. I think my last two posts would resonate with your ideas express here: https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/a-digital-detox-pilgrimage
Thank you for reading and for sharing! I will read and follow up with my comments. My friend Ed Roberson of the Mountain and Prairie podcast is on a monthlong social media sabbatical himself (he dropped all but LinkedIn and Instagram several years ago), and I will readily admit I am not as disciplined as he is, but I am working on a path of less scrolling. It's a start.
Yes, yes, yes! I'm on that bus with you, James, and I hope to Heaven we're headed away from fear and violence and isolation toward that Beloved Community envisioned by MLK. And it's always a special pleasure for me when you bring my man Wendell into the picture. Thank you for a beautiful, thought-provoking essay.
Thank you for your kind words and support. I am finding that when I turn my focus to the Gospel-centered works of folks like Wendell, MLK, and Thomas Merton, I simultaneously feel less bothered by politics and more energized for good work.
Fully agree James! "People are for sharing their humanity, no matter how frustrating and inefficient it might be to the economic order. People are for community." It seems so obvious, but yet so lost in general public awareness. I invited readers to join in community this month for a 'digital detox pilgrimage'. I think my last two posts would resonate with your ideas express here: https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/a-digital-detox-pilgrimage
Thank you for reading and for sharing! I will read and follow up with my comments. My friend Ed Roberson of the Mountain and Prairie podcast is on a monthlong social media sabbatical himself (he dropped all but LinkedIn and Instagram several years ago), and I will readily admit I am not as disciplined as he is, but I am working on a path of less scrolling. It's a start.