Self Reliance in a Techno World

Self reliance and technology are somewhat exclusive. The entertainment value we receive from technology serves to create dependence, not the reverse. Do you remember the days when a child would take a toy apart and put it back together as a form of entertainment? If a child disassembles his iPod today, it will simply be broken. No educational value will have occurred, and the parental wrath delivered will serve as a deterrent to such exploration or experimentation in the future. So, what to do? Most of us have no idea how our techno gadgets are created. We can't do the math; we don't have the skills to create; all we can do is dumbly consume. If we become increasingly tantalized and enslaved by technology, we become correspondingly weaker in our ability to think independently, to develop compelling interpersonal relationships, or to provide leadership for younger generations. What to do, what to do...?

Limit access to technology.

And, fill that void with productive family activities. Provide youth the opportunity to struggle to solve problems. Require them to think, to explore, to pray, and to discover success commensurate to the effort expended. A lot more should be said about this, and I don't have all the answers.