THERE’S a new addiction in the block. It’s
called internet
addiction. And it’s on the rise, with frightening speed, especially
affecting young people, like kids, students and young professionals.
They are not of the type prone to drugs or drinks. Rather
their addiction is like that of gambling. A certain compulsion
dominates them and interferes in their daily duties, wasting a lot of
time and energy, and sometimes money in the process.
They can look very decent and normal, at least in
appearance. But we know we all have feet of clay. It would be good if
we are aware of this clear and present danger and prepare ourselves
accordingly.
Early warning signs may be deterioration of grades for
students, and negligence of some basic duties for the young
professionals. Students who have been good in class suddenly turn
south in class performance. That’s because they now find it hard to
concentrate on their studies.
They often interrupt their studies to answer the messages in
their cellphones, and often check if there are new messages. They
upload photos, usually inane selfies, on social media everyday, and
comment on almost all of what their friends post in the internet. The
kids are practically taken away by the many games the internet offers.
From there, things can worsen as users end up visiting porn
websites, and by surfing aimlessly often end up induced to do bad
things. Latent weaknesses that the users are not aware of, suddenly
get activated, and if they do not have the proper defenses, then they
get swallowed up.
In other words, they are caught in some web of distractions
quite hard to extricate from, since many sweet and irresistible
rationalizations come to their mind to justify their actuations.
The Internet offers its users a certain sense of immediate
gratification in terms of accessibility, affordability and anonymity.
When not properly motivated, these users fall for the ease and the
false sense of dominion the Internet offers.
We have to acknowledge this social problem and do something
about it. This disturbing development should not suck us into fear and
cowardice. Bad things can and should give rise to occasions for us to
grow more as a person, as a family, as a community and society. They
can enrich our humanity.
We can resort to some immediate and stop-gap measures, like
regulating the use of the Internet, using filters, monitoring and
supervising the Internet use especially for the children.
It is said, for example, that if you do not see your
children in your own house, what you only have to do is to turn off
the Internet, and they will come out. Of course, this and the other
measures can only do so much, since the kids now are smart and can
easily get around these measures.
We should not stop simply in the level of regulating,
stopping, discouraging and other negative-leaning measures, even if
they are also indispensable. They are not meant to be effective for
long. We should face the challenge of tackling this issue in a more
positive and long-term way.
And that means that especially for the children we have to
learn how to motivate them properly, giving them by word and example
precious lessons about order, prudence, temperance, sense of purpose.
It’s important that despite the usual tension and conflicts,
a cordial, friendly and intimate relationship exists between them and
the parents, the teachers and others with certain authority. There
should be an atmosphere of openness, trust and confidence in this
relationship. When this is absent, we have a big problem to solve.
For the older children, young professionals and even adults,
the challenge to face is how to resolve the existential emptiness that
is at the bottom of this Internet addiction and other forms of
bondage.
It is this existential emptiness that makes people
vulnerable to be swallowed up by their passions and other weaknesses
that often are hidden and sometimes masked by a façade of some virtue.
Even those who are generally regarded as “good and holy
people” are not exempted from this predicament. In fact, their case
can be trickier and harder to handle, since they can easily hide this
problem due to the many good and impressive things they do and
accomplish.
This existential emptiness is resolved when one is genuinely
connected with God who is everything to us, our life, our wisdom, our
truth, our freedom, our love, etc. This happens when one truly prays,
and becomes, in St. Paul’s words, a spiritual man, going beyond
sentimentalism, psychology, intellectualism, professionalism,
activism, etc.
There’s no other way to tackle this issue.
addiction. And it’s on the rise, with frightening speed, especially
affecting young people, like kids, students and young professionals.
They are not of the type prone to drugs or drinks. Rather
their addiction is like that of gambling. A certain compulsion
dominates them and interferes in their daily duties, wasting a lot of
time and energy, and sometimes money in the process.
They can look very decent and normal, at least in
appearance. But we know we all have feet of clay. It would be good if
we are aware of this clear and present danger and prepare ourselves
accordingly.
Early warning signs may be deterioration of grades for
students, and negligence of some basic duties for the young
professionals. Students who have been good in class suddenly turn
south in class performance. That’s because they now find it hard to
concentrate on their studies.
They often interrupt their studies to answer the messages in
their cellphones, and often check if there are new messages. They
upload photos, usually inane selfies, on social media everyday, and
comment on almost all of what their friends post in the internet. The
kids are practically taken away by the many games the internet offers.
From there, things can worsen as users end up visiting porn
websites, and by surfing aimlessly often end up induced to do bad
things. Latent weaknesses that the users are not aware of, suddenly
get activated, and if they do not have the proper defenses, then they
get swallowed up.
In other words, they are caught in some web of distractions
quite hard to extricate from, since many sweet and irresistible
rationalizations come to their mind to justify their actuations.
The Internet offers its users a certain sense of immediate
gratification in terms of accessibility, affordability and anonymity.
When not properly motivated, these users fall for the ease and the
false sense of dominion the Internet offers.
We have to acknowledge this social problem and do something
about it. This disturbing development should not suck us into fear and
cowardice. Bad things can and should give rise to occasions for us to
grow more as a person, as a family, as a community and society. They
can enrich our humanity.
We can resort to some immediate and stop-gap measures, like
regulating the use of the Internet, using filters, monitoring and
supervising the Internet use especially for the children.
It is said, for example, that if you do not see your
children in your own house, what you only have to do is to turn off
the Internet, and they will come out. Of course, this and the other
measures can only do so much, since the kids now are smart and can
easily get around these measures.
We should not stop simply in the level of regulating,
stopping, discouraging and other negative-leaning measures, even if
they are also indispensable. They are not meant to be effective for
long. We should face the challenge of tackling this issue in a more
positive and long-term way.
And that means that especially for the children we have to
learn how to motivate them properly, giving them by word and example
precious lessons about order, prudence, temperance, sense of purpose.
It’s important that despite the usual tension and conflicts,
a cordial, friendly and intimate relationship exists between them and
the parents, the teachers and others with certain authority. There
should be an atmosphere of openness, trust and confidence in this
relationship. When this is absent, we have a big problem to solve.
For the older children, young professionals and even adults,
the challenge to face is how to resolve the existential emptiness that
is at the bottom of this Internet addiction and other forms of
bondage.
It is this existential emptiness that makes people
vulnerable to be swallowed up by their passions and other weaknesses
that often are hidden and sometimes masked by a façade of some virtue.
Even those who are generally regarded as “good and holy
people” are not exempted from this predicament. In fact, their case
can be trickier and harder to handle, since they can easily hide this
problem due to the many good and impressive things they do and
accomplish.
This existential emptiness is resolved when one is genuinely
connected with God who is everything to us, our life, our wisdom, our
truth, our freedom, our love, etc. This happens when one truly prays,
and becomes, in St. Paul’s words, a spiritual man, going beyond
sentimentalism, psychology, intellectualism, professionalism,
activism, etc.
There’s no other way to tackle this issue.
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