I'm Awake, You're Still Sleeping

Congratulations to Mr. Jeff Giddens for correctly naming "Harry Hood" by Phish as the song of the day yesterday. I have always been jealous of the fact that Jeff had the good fortune to be at the Phish Halloween show in 1996, when they performed their Halloween costume cover of The Talking Heads' album "Remain in Light."

It seems that recently I have seen signs everywhere of what is a growing concern, not just among people my age, but among people of all ages. As our society has become more and more affluent, we have been able insulate ourselves. Through avenues such as television, movies, computer games, the internet, blogs, advertising, fantasy sports, and countless others, we are able to craft our world to our own liking. We are able to watch the shows that we want to watch, write what we want to say, and buy what we want to buy exactly when we want to buy it.

Some might look at my previous statement and argue that such a situation is exactly how a capitalist system should operate. Consumers should be able to buy whatever they wish with the money that they have or at least what that little piece of plastic in their back pocket will allow them to purchase. My point is that such a paradigm allows us to construct our own little kingdoms that exist to the exlcusion of those around us.

Such a situation has already created what I see as growing desire to fill the void of human contact that has already been created by our fast-paced, technology-driven, consumer-led culture. Deep down, people do not want to know about the latest designs from Dolce and Gabbana, the travails of Brad and Angelina, or what Brett Favre does in the offseason. People want to know that others care about them and that their life makes a difference in this world. It may be cliche, but as I have found that often makes it true.

This is why I believe that in the coming years, Christians have a tremendous opportunity. Even as the messages of Joel Osteen, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson meld into the countless other mass-media messages that people are bombarded with each day, Christians will be able to reach out through what may seem to be an antiquated method: face-to-face interactions that reach people on a personal level. In order for this to take place, we must start preparing now. So after reading this, get up from your computer, find someone around you and get into their life. Find out that people have their ups and downs just like you. Learn to use tools like the handshake, hug, and eye-contact instead of always settling for finding a bigger media market or audience. Learn to enjoy the audience of one.