Inspect a Gadget
Remember the myth of the paperless office - that one day all our information exchanges would be electronic, printers would become redundant, stationers would go out of business and entire rainforests would be saved?
Hasn't exactly happened, has it?
So what about the 'format-less world'? As advancing technology improves the devices we use to download and interact with music, film and video games, are we waving goodbye to CDs, DVDs, and all such shiny discs of plastic?
Not quite, it seems.
Remember how vinyl was supposed to be extinct? Now most music stores have a healthy stock of vinyl records. And although DVD sales slumped by ten percent in 2009, sales of blu-ray discs - the high definition evolution of DVD -increased by 167 percent in the same period.
Hollywood can thank films like Avatar for such sales. The blockbuster's revolutionary use of digital technology has meant that people want to buy tellies and formats that make the most of every little blue pixel. And it doesn't stop there. With the recent advent of 3D television, anyone who wants to will be able to have Gerard Butler sat on his or her lap (in a manner of speaking).
With science moving so fast, it's easy to get caught up in the adoption of next generation technology without considering the implications or queries it raises. The 'format-less' question is one in point. Should Christians, in an effort to be good stewards of our environment, ditch formats and make do with downloads? Surely less plastic in the world is a good thing? And, likewise, should we be so hasty to snatch up the latest upgrade or model, be it a phone or a TV? Are we too quick to find reasons why we need the latest version?
Clearly it's not as simple as asking 'Do I need this, or do I just want it?' - our consumer culture is highly adept at blurring the boundaries between the two - but it is about finding a balance. And, as is so often the case, the way of wisdom lies in taking the middle path. As Proverbs states, '...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread' (Proverbs 30:8).
These are profound words, ones that find an echo in the contentment in material circumstances about which Paul wrote to the Philippians (4:11-12). But what might they mean for us in regard to our acquisition of ever-advancing technological games and gadgets? That is the challenge that confronts whole-life disciples.
Jason Gardner
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