The Impact of Technology Through the Eyes of a Child, and Wisdom Shines

I was saying goodnight to my daughter, and she begged me to lay with her. She’s 10, when is she going to just me say goodnight so I can relax? I stopped and asked, why. as I was anxious for some alone time reading and decompressing from a long day of information overload and multitasking my multiple roles from home with billions of distractions.

She said she wanted someone to talk to. That always gets me. I know how important it is to talk, to feel connected, to bond, for us to decompress. That’s where we learn, grow and build a safe space. The three can’t be accomplished independent of another.

So, I laid down at the foot of her bed, her toes in my face. She’s grown so fast and there’s not an empty spot left in her twin bed for me to lay without being overtaken by some body part. I hadn’t fully rested my head on a stuffed animal before she said, “I’m worried about the future.” This completely caught me off guard. Was this coming from her mouth or mine? How did the words that I thought in my mind come out of her mouth?

Surprised, but calm, I asked, “What about the future?”

“About technology, and, everything is just advancing so quickly,” she paused, and hesitated for the right words. “Like everything is going to be full of….robots.” She started to pick up pace, and build on that, like thoughts were flowing maybe from the subconscious mind to the conscious. Almost realizing for the first time, that her thoughts are real. “Like 50% of people in the world will be robots.”

I continued to listen.

She went on, “And all this technology. We’re glued to it! All we do is technology, technology, and I’m worried.”

“What are you worried about?”

“I’m worried that in the future no one will care about other people. Like families, won’t care about each other because they will just be glued to their devices.”

“Well you have some control over that…. Where did you get these ideas from?”

All the time she was spewing, I wondered if she’d read a text I sent to a friend just that day about being worried about the future. I don’t openly share my worry, I don’t think I appear to be worried, we don’t have the news on, but maybe once a week, we have secure internet with strict content blocking and what she watches on YouTube consists mainly of Lego Friends, Barbie and BrainPOP for Kids.

“I got it from my brain, because I’m smart.”

“Wow! Yes, you are!”

She doesn’t take long to say the next though that’s already formulated in her mind, “When I’m a mom, I’m going to make my kids put their technology away and get outside! There’s so much to see and do and that’s just what a good parent would do!”

Struggling with words of my own, and doubt in my own mind about how much freedom she will have to do so, with so much power and influence of tech working against her, I said, “You’re so right, you can be a good parent and do that.”

She continues, “In 50 years, kids will be up until 6am,” and she mocks them as she pretends to text on an iPhone that both of her brothers have, but as a 10 year old, she doesn’t have yet. “And they’ll be texting and scrolling on their phones all night!”

I replied, yes, that is a concern and there have been may studies that show how important sleep is for children’s developing brains…” I was stopped mid-thought, “Yeah, studies ONLINE.”

“Well, no, these studies have been published in journals and they are available at the library. Once libraries are open, we can go to a college library and I will show you.”

She paused, shifting gears a bit. “And high-tech cars! There will be charging stations all over the place. But those cars will fail. They will not be good, and we will look back and say, those cars were better.”

As she calmed down a little bit, I let her know that what she was thinking and feeling could possibly be 100% correct, and that she’s experiencing these thoughts for a reason. She has a voice that comes from the Spirit inside, that needs to be heard. “You are going to do great things in this world. You already are doing great things in this world! Sharing your thoughts, feelings and ideas is important. Stopping to think about them and being thankful for them and knowing that God has a great plan for you. This is a great opportunity for you!”

“You’re right mom. God did give me these ideas! I don’t have to hear Him like I hear you,” But I just know it’s God, because he loves me and cares for me.”

“That’s right. He’s giving you these ideas because he wants to use your wisdom and insight to prepare, to recognize how important relationships are. That technology can never replace relationships, but if we’re forced to be glued to or dependent on it because we need to do school on it and shop and work and live, we will be on technology even more.”

Not once did I tell her not to worry, or that it was going to be OK. In this world there will be trouble.  Not once did I tell her not to overreact or that her thoughts were crazy. Worry is an opportunity to move. It’s not comfortable, but neither is sitting in fear afraid to share your thoughts.

It’s time to stop silencing our thoughts and ideas and let them come forth from the Spirit and wisdom within us and really listen to them. It’s OK to be worried and fearful of what’s to come. What’s most important is what we do with those feelings. Let’s not suppress them. We’re all guilty of this, distracting ourselves with food, drink, media, work, money, worry about the future. Let’s find time to connect not just to each other, but to the Spirit within you FIRST; only there will we find hope for the future!

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.