Zombies

Some people are very opinionated when it comes to technology; especially now, in the Era of the Smart Phone. The two reigning opinions are that either these contraptions are making the world an infinitely better place OR that they are turning us all into zombies who don't want to socialize with each other anymore...

Of course, I am an innocent bystander that is just looking on with no opinion of my own.

Oh, is that why you own an iPhone with a bajillion apps and prefer to spend an afternoon with Netflix instead of with real people?  

Ah.... well, perhaps I lean ever-so-slightly towards feeling like technology is awesome.

I admit that I have an affinity towards new technology... and it's probably because it gives me the ability to learn just about anything simply by watching a video or reading a few articles on a device that I carry around in my pocket.

Technology has allowed The Stone Church to easily share a podcast on iTunes, keep people updated and connected through a website and Facebook page, and gives us plenty of other opportunities that we never would have had 10 years ago.

Of course, there are times I abuse the amount of information at my fingertips by doing things like watching Simon Pegg's entire filmography in one sitting or by spending a few hours on Pinterest pinning all the great how-to articles of home-improvement projects that I desperately need to do this week (that I will never, ever actually do).

So, I confess, technology does give us a huge amount of time-wasting activity for us to wallow in if we so choose...

But, sometimes, people are just anti-social and will use anything as an excuse to act like a zombie and not talk to the person sitting next to them, technology or no.

I have been trying to consciously un-zombify myself recently and instead use the powers of technology for constructive purposes, like connecting with people (I joined Facebook... eek!) and researching how to do some really cool things for cheap at The Stone Church (like short films).

So, love it or hate it, technology has vast potential for everything from music to art...

...or for making yourself look very busy and important so that you don't have to talk to that creepy guy sitting next to you on the bus.