As we get more and more advanced as a society it seems like we are getting less and less real with each other. Every advance we log into our world becomes a way of projecting an image rather than reality. We used to buy cars and trucks based on our needs. Now we buy automobiles to give a certain image about ourselves. Our cars are now a reflection on who we are supposedly. At one time buying a house was about the need to put kids in their own rooms. Nowadays we are willing to pile kids to the ceiling as long as our house has a certain roof pitch or vaulted entrance way to impress passersby. My grandmother loved her modern kitchen. Understand her modern kitchen had a refrigerator, stove, and sink. Today kitchens must have granite counter tops, cherry wood cabinets, and ornate knobs. You know the stuff that gets food cooked.
You see, it's all about the look. It's all about the image projected. I need to look good in my truck so others think I'm something important. And if that's not enough to make me look like something I'm not, then I'll just add some ridiculous and flashy things to my truck like spinning rims, noisy tail pipes, and super loud bass speakers. Oh wait, I have noisy tail pipes so scratch that one. Then factor in the computer/information age. When computers first became popular everyone was instantly drawn to AOL chat rooms. What an incredible concept. You could talk to other people, sometimes many people, and they would only know what you typed about yourself. This was an incredible way to project an image about yourself without having to buy an expensive house. You could be overweight, unemployed, and live on your parent's couch, but in the chat room you were The Man! Teenagers could pose as adults and more disturbingly adults could pose as kids. Fast forward to modern social media and you have Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at your disposal. These feature photos so to most this seems like a deterrent to falsifying your image. But there are many ways to fake photos. Yes the most obvious is photo shop. The ability to make your eyes shine a little bluer or squeeze your mid section seems common place and almost like little white lies in today's image driven world. Then there are the hard core fakers. For example the whole Manti Te'o controversy. This young man was supposedly involved in an online relationship with a non existent young lady who died of leukemia. If I understand correctly it was his cousin that faked the entire thing because he had a crush on the star football player. Can you say John Hinkley Jr.? The more gadgets and abilities we have the more we are able to distance ourselves from reality.
I am definitely not against technology. The information age is a wonderful thing that helps us keep in touch and share our lives. The reality of it is that we are all victims of the age old sin of covetness. Insert whatever cliche' you would like here; keeping up with the Jones, we have to have the best, everybody else is doing it, etc, etc. At the end of the day it's your own happiness you are robbing by being fake. So what if you fool some people about your life, status, or income. You still have to go home to reality. In the end love what God gave you. Make the best of that and I assure you it will be much more rewarding than any electronic image you could dream up. At the end of the day ask the image in the mirror if all is well with his soul.
You see, it's all about the look. It's all about the image projected. I need to look good in my truck so others think I'm something important. And if that's not enough to make me look like something I'm not, then I'll just add some ridiculous and flashy things to my truck like spinning rims, noisy tail pipes, and super loud bass speakers. Oh wait, I have noisy tail pipes so scratch that one. Then factor in the computer/information age. When computers first became popular everyone was instantly drawn to AOL chat rooms. What an incredible concept. You could talk to other people, sometimes many people, and they would only know what you typed about yourself. This was an incredible way to project an image about yourself without having to buy an expensive house. You could be overweight, unemployed, and live on your parent's couch, but in the chat room you were The Man! Teenagers could pose as adults and more disturbingly adults could pose as kids. Fast forward to modern social media and you have Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at your disposal. These feature photos so to most this seems like a deterrent to falsifying your image. But there are many ways to fake photos. Yes the most obvious is photo shop. The ability to make your eyes shine a little bluer or squeeze your mid section seems common place and almost like little white lies in today's image driven world. Then there are the hard core fakers. For example the whole Manti Te'o controversy. This young man was supposedly involved in an online relationship with a non existent young lady who died of leukemia. If I understand correctly it was his cousin that faked the entire thing because he had a crush on the star football player. Can you say John Hinkley Jr.? The more gadgets and abilities we have the more we are able to distance ourselves from reality.
I am definitely not against technology. The information age is a wonderful thing that helps us keep in touch and share our lives. The reality of it is that we are all victims of the age old sin of covetness. Insert whatever cliche' you would like here; keeping up with the Jones, we have to have the best, everybody else is doing it, etc, etc. At the end of the day it's your own happiness you are robbing by being fake. So what if you fool some people about your life, status, or income. You still have to go home to reality. In the end love what God gave you. Make the best of that and I assure you it will be much more rewarding than any electronic image you could dream up. At the end of the day ask the image in the mirror if all is well with his soul.
