By Fr Renold Pascal, SSP –
I was amused to read an interesting piece of news, recently, where there was a ‘tooth and nail’ brawl mid air between a Husband and wife in Qatar Airways Flight QR-962. The Captain had to ground the flight and offloaded the couple at Chennai Airport. The reason was apparently Digital. Guess, the wife discovered ‘inappropriate digital images on his digital Phone which led to a digital fight.
Although, this could be a bizarre incident, events to this nature have steadily increased in the last five years. Situations aided by digital Connectivity and Content have been upturning the family set-up, literally. Thanks to the 4G networks clamouring at every corner with their Unlimited data packages.
Parents are left with no clue in handing their zillennial kids, for whom Google is a creation of God, and yes getting a Wi-Fi connection is their birth right. In this high rising digital eco-system, it’s a food for debate, to think if a life without “connection’ would be even possible – in the long run.
Pope Francis, our Pastor-in-chief, stands up for digital Cloud. He has taken a positive approach towards this growing digital ecosystem. Pope says, the “Internet offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity”, and it is a “gift of God”.
He fully understands the potential of digital’s space in forming human relationships today. He writes, “Emails, text messages, social networks and chats can also be fully human forms of communication”. He says, “It is not enough to be passersby on the digital highways, simply ‘connected…Connections need to grow into true encounters.
The Pope who has over 40 million followers of Twitter and 5 million on Instagram finds time to meet and tweet every day. “Every day, through his tweets, Pope Francis makes himself available to men and women through social media, at times offering a spiritual thought,” the Vatican Secretariat for Communication said on Oct. 11 2017.
He shows how to be a Christian and virtuous even on a Digital Platform. “Like the good Samaritan, who stopped on the road to help a person in need, travelers along today’s communication highways should offer support to those they encounter there. The digital world can be an environment rich in humanity; a network not of wires but of people. (48th World Communication day message.)
The popes ask the modern Christian to be Digitally Charitable. “The digital world is a public square, a meeting-place where we can either encourage or demean one another, engage in a meaningful discussion or unfair attacks”.
Here are some, digitally sound Preps and Tips for Parents, Pastors and Teachers who find themselves on the Digital highways:
- Digital Ecosystem is here to stay: Parents and grown-ups have to accept and acknowledge that the Digital Ecosystem is home. We need to welcome this new guest into our living spaces and get accustomed to this Digital environment. A change of mental set is required to process well in this Digital sphere.
- Positive Approach: Like Pope Francis, let’s tell ourselves and our Children that Internet is powerful and is a Gift of God. Like any other gifts of nature viz. Sun, Fire, Water, and Wind. This approach sends out positive and healthy to our Youngsters in this Digital Eco-system.
- Use Internet to Build home: Today almost every home has Wi-fi connection and an average home could have 4-5 connected devices, if not more. Let’s ask kids to use them to build communities, set up Youth movements, SCC programmes, share Prayer requests etc.
- Smart Family Prayers: Thanks to net connectivity, we could access umpteen number of Prayer sites. Parents and Children can enhance their Family prayers by using variety of creative and innovative Family Prayers and rosaries on the internet. This also breaks the monotony of daily prayers.
- Parents get Digital: To have a digitally healthy family, it is nearly essential that Parents and elderly Get Digital – getting to know the nuances and operation of digital devices and useful Apps so that they don’t feel aloof and left out.
- Internet: a good servant but bad master: Like any other gifts, Internet too is a gift to humanity and not the Lord of the humanity. It amounts to Idolatry when Digital space becomes a ‘god’ for many and much of the time.
- No substitute but enhancer for relationship: Thanks to Video chats like IMO, WhatsApp, Google Duo, Skype, we could communicate face to face anywhwere at at little cost. No doubt they enhance our family relationships especially when a member is abroad or the children out for studies. However, the base line stands: These virtual communication cannot take away the place of real communication. Virutal world cannot give vibes what real presence can.
- Don’t Stalk Just talk: Parents feel highly insecure with Children demanding privacy and enjoying being alone by themselves. Children feel that they are being stalked by parents all the time. This may lead to anxiety. Parents need to know that Children understand when you talk with your heart not when you stalk their digital movements. Their response level is high when you trust
- Parenting, Love your Kids everyday: Blue Whale challenge was a ‘success’ because what Blue whale could offer, parents could not: Recognition and sense of appreciation on little achievements kids make. Blue Whale challenge promised fifty recognitions for fifty accomplished. Parents need to love their Children, visually. Let children know that they are loved. St John Bosco said it two centuries back “not enough to love, but make them feel that they are loved.
- Parish and Family – a seamless connectivity. Parishes are nothing but extended families. Thanks to Digital space, parish Priests and families can have seamless connectivity and contacts to elicit collaboration and networking. There could be Digital Christian Communities on various needs such as: Senior Citizens Group, Youth Group, Choir group, Zonal head group, Eucharistic Minister’s group etc.
- Quality time Vs. Quantity time: Carol Andrade’ a senior journalist thinks that ‘Quality time’ does not exist. But there is a need for Quantity time to be spent with Children. Quantity time allows youngsters to feel the Parental presence, yet they are free to move around along Digital spaces. Quality time is to be close to them, which is not possible 24X7, which at times may be stifling to the the young.
- Digital Buying: Everyone’s buying or getting services online. Life is made easier and simpler when we use OLA, Uber, Amazon, Flipkart, However, there is a danger of uncontrolled buying, accumulation and wastage of goods which could deprive less fortunate people in some corner of this earth. Buy, what is needed and only when needed.
Fathers and brothers from Society of St Paul are committed to educate Kids, Youth and elderly to travel on this Digital Highway safely and fruitfully through their expert workshops and seminars.
It’s Digitally Ours… Let’s claim this God’s Gift to enhance human communication and relationships.
This article is courtesy of CBCI.
Fr Renold Pascal SSP has an MBA in Media and Entertainment, and is currently Asst ant Director of SPICE, Bandra