The Digital Age Survival Guide for Mindful Millennials

The moment you wake up, what is the first thing you do? When you’re on the train, where do you turn for entertainment? If your answers involve a smartphone, laptop, or computer, then this guide is for you.

As we journey through the waves of digital progress, modern devices increasingly become a vital part of our lives. Mobile phones, Internet, laptops, and computers are basic necessities to get through our days—days which themselves are hastened by these technological advances. We can now connect with our friends and family in an instant, make delicious ramen within minutes, and still have time to stream a television show—all simultaneously and with a push of a button.

Many of us seem to have committed to a relationship with our devices and appreciate that they provide us with an immediate distraction from the mundane tasks or dull trips we do on the daily, but with the certainty of comfort and innovation come some uncertainties. While the age we live in is exciting, we start to discover complications that affect our character, our relationships, and our own sense of joy.

How has modern technology affected the parts of us that make us human, and how can we be intentional about the change we’re going through as a society?

The Culprit: Instant Gratification

In many cases, we as a modern generation find instant gratification from engagement with our devices: We receive “Likes” on social media, binge-watch our favorite TV shows, do our shopping from our couch, and the list goes on.

According to neuroscientific studies, we release dopamine in our brain when we reciprocate with our digital utilities, giving us a sense of joy or gratification. Dopamine is the same chemical we release when we experience gratification of any kind (eating chocolate, holding a loved one’s hand, winning a game of sports). Like any good thing, overuse or dependency on this feeling can be harmful.

The Outcome: Numbed Joy

Instant gratification can hinder our ability to experience a deeper sense of joy. Imagine a world where easy access is the norm and everything we need is acquired with minimal to no effort, so much so that humans no longer need each other or the world around them.

Of course, this is an oversimplification of our current situation, but our generation exhibits the symptoms of overreliance on instant gratification. Activities such as gaming and online shopping can become obsessive hobbies. Our interaction with people is replaced by social media as a form of affirmation.

If we continuously release dopamine, however, our ability to sense joy can become dull from the constant stimulation and our mind might reach a point of numbness to what we otherwise would enjoy. If we as a society depend on instant gratification to experience joy, we risk developing mindless interactions with the things around us, we prevent ourselves from making consequential connections with people, and we could lose the sense of meaningful happiness that God wants us to experience in our life.

The Principle: God’s Design for Human Life

Through the Divine Principle, we learn that life is meant to be enjoyed with God and His creation. God designed a world that reflects His own character, and intended for us to make a personal connection with the world and with God. As Paul said:

Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse … (Romans 1:20, Revised Standard Version)

The Divine Principle echoes this idea:

Just as the work of an artist is a visible manifestation of its maker's invisible nature, every creation is a substantial object of the invisible deity of God, the Creator. His nature is displayed in each creation. Just as we can sense an author's character through his works, so we can perceive God's deity by observing His creation.

In other words, we can see God in the things and the people around us. In a way, you and I and the things around us each carry a part of God’s characteristics. These characteristics exhibit His presence, especially when we interact with our environment and with each other. As we are social beings, so too is God, and connecting with God through each other can be a path to achieve meaningful relationships in which God can dwell. But how can we get there when we’re numbed by our technology?

The Solution: Moderation Is Key

Advances are not necessarily bad things. Innovation opens greater possibilities and can bring our society into a modern era. But it wouldn’t hurt to upgrade our spirituality as well. By unplugging ourselves from our devices from time to time and connecting with the people and things around us, we will become more aware and have a deeper sense of joy and appreciation for the beauty and simplicity in the design of our world as we step back from the intricate, fast-paced reality of the modern world. Unplugging isn’t a difficult thing to do when it starts with moderation.

Here are some steps we can take to start “unplugging”:

-Instead of checking your phone as soon as you wake up, start by praying, or maybe saying “Good morning” to your family or roommate.

-Have a conversation with someone on the train. Yes, it could be awkward at first, but working through it is how we develop social skills.

-Remove your social media apps from your phone’s home screen, so that you access them only when you really need to.

Since our spirituality does not develop as fast as technology does, let’s slow down a bit and give our spiritual lives some time to catch up with modern times. I strongly believe that technology and spirituality can coexist and even cooperate in bringing our world to a better, more meaningful and more enjoyable world. Time to unplug!

Dual Characteristics of God:
http://www.unification.net/dp73/dp73-1-1.html

Instant Gratification:
https://zenhabits.net/gratify/