SmartPhone: Weapon of Mass Distraction

Do you have a cell phone in your pocket? It is used frequently daily. Yet, some overuse it, and others use it to make calls. Gone are the beepers, paid phones, and in time the lane lines at one’s home.

The smartphone has everything we need, from shopping, phone books, alarm clocks, music playlists, and a growing list of things in one device. Unfortunately, the smartphone has become so popular that it is often misused.

It takes us away from the things that matter most. We even misuse it for self-gratification, from selfies to recording videos of incidents when they can easily intervene or alert the police to trying to attack someone’s integrity and character for attention, it can be a destructive device that violates human dignity.

Pope Francis was frank to say that the problem with cell phones is that they are “in front of our eyes.” He continues, “Our eyes are meant to look into the eyes of others. They were not made to look down at a virtual world that we hold in our hands, but to look up to heaven, to God, and to look into the eyes of those who live next to us.”

St. Benedict will remind us to exercise the practice of silence in distraction. He encourages us to be silent and to seek silence, “On account of the great value of silence, let leave to speak be seldom granted to observant disciples.”

The good news is that cell phones can be used for good. We can harness the cell phone to share the gospel. It even helps us to connect with Catholics everywhere through group chats and even established texts for prayers. Instead of engaging in the doom scroll, use it as an opportunity to send a bible verse.

Maybe it’s time for Catholics to strike a balance in the use of the pocket-size computer. Be sure to use it to evangelize by sharing quotes from the bible, saints, and even messages of faith from many evangelists in the church.

Cell phones have been a weapon of passive distractions, yet it is all not lost. Let’s be sure to use it for the glory of God.