That little black box

     A message to all users of cell phones, televisions or anything that can hold your information. Watch out! They are listening. I don't think it's a coincidence that after talking to a friend about tennis shoes or how to care for a certain plant, that it magically pops up on my Alexa as to brands or special care for that certain plant. We look in amazement and say, "wow! I was just talking about that!".

     Trust me when I tell you, I'm not paranoid, but I do think it's awfully strange how electronics these days have become such a vital part of our usage for life. Yes, we might have missed those calls in past days, when cell phones were not yet created, but eventually we connected. We survived. Now, I freak out if I left my phone on the counter at home, after I start out in my car. What's going on? Have I been so crippled with technology that I must depend on that to fulfill my peace? Using a paper map has become obsolete. Our GPS system tracks our every move, are every mile,  to get us to our destination. But what if the phone or car dies and we are stranded in an unknown, unfamiliar place? Then what? We must resolve to asking for directions or help from a stranger that we prayed would appear to help us. We have become soft. In the rat race of life, we don't depend on God the way we should. Children are able to use their cell phones in class to look up the answer to questions they should work out on paper and use their brains with. Are they really learning? 

     God conditioned our brains, I believe, to work things out. To ask for His help in the task of times when we get stuck. Instead, the days go by in a flash with lessons unlearned. Details not thought out. Watching the family dinner get distracted by the majority scrolling on their phones and not being forced to make contact with loved ones in real conversations. I'm guilty of this also. It's a security blanket. A reason not to confront or engage. Shame on us! Time goes by fast enough, that those precious moments of togetherness have been sold out for uselessness. 

    Little black boxes that just keep getting more and more expensive, need to be thrown out the window. Making us aware of "real life". Of each other. Do we actually think that God will disappear if we don't watch or listen to His Sacred words or teachings or advice if we don't watch the TV or scroll through our phones?. The distractions are less when we appropriate ourselves in real places of His existence. Holy Adoration before the Tabernacle in Church. In the outdoors of His Holy creation. In our Holy books that are also becoming obsolete. We can find Him in all those things that are not technological. All we have to do is seek Him. Ask Him and knock on the door of Heaven. He will guide us to our destination and give us all the information that we need. The little black boxes that just keep getting more and more expensive, need to be thrown out the window. Making us aware of real life. Of each other. The realization of simplicity. 

     It may take a little longer to get to our destination, but I assure you, we will get there. 

     Let go and let God.