Unplugging

Have you ever found yourself or someone else on their cell phone when they shouldn’t be?  I’m not just talking about those annoying blue toothers on their cells in the grocery store, I’m including texting, games, pictures, etc.  I myself sometimes struggle with the distraction a cell phone brings.  On retreats, I have, on occasion, been known to play a game on my cell phone when I should be paying attention to what someone (mostly Paul) is saying.

Paul admitted that while on vacation with his family he sent an sms update to his twitter feed, ironically the tweet read “will not be twittering til Monday, sometimes you need some time off”.  When his wife who was sitting next to him in the car noticed him texting, she took away his cell phone and he’s glad she did.

Sometimes we need to disconnect electronically so we can reconnect spiritually and emotionally, not only to God, but to those around us.  I believe our responsibility as followers of Christ is to help our friends and family do the same. 

Take Sr. Karolyn, for example, prior to a recent retreat she communicated clearly with the teens attending and their parents that the retreat would be a no cell zone.  When the teens arrived to the retreat they all placed their cell phones in a container, so they could reconnect with God and each other without distractions.  By the way, Sr. Karolyn did have her cell with her during the whole retreat (not to play games) but in case a parent needed to reach their child.  This may surprise some, but the students (and parents) all survived and probably got more out of it because their adult leader wisely helped them to unplug.

Here are some life changing, awesomer than awesome ideas on how to reconnect with yourself, friends, family and God:

Have cell phone free meals
Turn your cell phone off during Mass (even on vibrate it can be a distraction)
Set a time of day or week (perhaps for 30 minutes or a whole Sunday) when you will unplug from technology and use that time to plug in to God
Stop using the excuse that the phone is your watch
Imitate Sr. Karolyn

Doing these things and anything else you can think of will keep our spiritual statuses updated.

This blog was a collaboration of myself, Paul Masek and Kathleen McGovern while travelling to Steubenville St. Louis.