Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Temperance in the digital age

WE need to tackle this big challenge of our time. How do
we live temperance in this very intoxicating and addicting world of
the social media and the digital gadgets today? We now are all too
familiar with the signs of addiction afflicting people, both young and
old.

            We know that these new technologies instantly produce in
us a tremendous amount of dopamine that is so difficult to manage, let
alone, resist. And these gadgets keep on coming, each time with an
improved version, with hardly any manual as to how to use them
ethically and prudently.

            These new technologies are so new and so irresistible that
we, even the old ones with a lot of experience in life, do not have
any sound and effective guideline as to how to use them properly. The
traditional guidelines do not seem to work well, and in some cases,
even tend to aggravate the problem.

            The only light that we can see at the end of the tunnel
seems to be that some professionals are studying this issue very
closely and are now starting to give out some guiding points, even if
only tentatively. Things, of course, are still very much in the
wait-and-see and trial-and-error stage. But let’s continue hoping and
working on this matter.

            Many of these experts are saying that it would be wrong if
we would just come out too strong in banning or restricting these
gadgets especially from the young ones who will always find a way to
get hold of these gadgets, thus producing another variety of anomalies
related to deception, cheating, hypocrisy and the like.

            Having absolute, restrictive and inflexible indications
are now all proven to be counterproductive. What seems to work better
is to have the soft, friendly approach where everyone, especially the
young ones, are closely accompanied and together find practical ways
of how to live temperance in the use of these gadgets.

            It’s a kind of mentoring and accompaniment that has to be
done. But this, of course, would require the necessary dispositions
and structures. Family life should be strengthened, for example, and
teacher-and-student and mentor-and-mentee relationship should be
marked by friendship and confidence.

            Everything has to be done to facilitate sincerity and
openness, especially among the young ones, always reassuring them that
they will always be understood and helped no matter what mistakes they
make. And the guides and mentors should try their best to be
competent.

            There obviously is need for some restrictions and
limitations, but these should be monitored closely to see if the they
are producing favourable results. Otherwise, we have to make some
revisions and adjustments.

            Yes, it’s a different ballgame this time on how to develop
temperance in this dizzying digital age. At the moment, we are still
grappling with the novelty of the phenomenon, but hopefully if we
persist with hope and practical sense, we can manage to come out with
guidelines that are effective.

            For one, we need to loosen up and try to re-evaluate the
traditional concepts and ways of developing and living temperance. Of
course, we should not junk the traditional ones altogether, but we
need to update them and to try exploring the innovative ones that in
the end should be an organic extension of the traditional.


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