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Category Archives: Spirituality

day 2 apart from facebook

Today is Sunday, January 30, 2011. It is also day two without facebook for me. I left off my last post by asking, where is God in all this? Really, is God to be found in cyber? Yes, maybe, and no; these three. You see, I think that answer really depends on the user. One from the outside cannot really say that God is/not present in cyber space, and then proceed to give their reasons based on their individual perspectives. Actually, they can give a reason, but their reason should be invalidated. One simply cannot answer for someone else.

For me, I still subscribe to a traditional understanding of God’s presence. That is, God is ubiquitous (same as omnipresence) – a fancy theological term for “everywhere.” Put another way, God is present in all of existence, everywhere and at all times. Sure we can go on debating various things, such as creation and theodicy, but I won’t go there on this post. Those are much broader topics that deserve extensive writing, rather than a couple of paragraphs.

For me, here and now, whether I choose to acknowledge God’s presence or not is the real trial. How I prioritize God in the order of things may not have to do with confession, creed, or belief, as much as it is about how I do things. It’s not always easy.

Next question I am considering is this, are social networks such as facebook and twitter a religion? I will get back to you with an answer sometimes tomorrow.

I leave you today with this excellent TED Talk. By now you should know that I am a big fan of the TED Talks. I have a bias towards scholarly, well researched and thought out lectures. I think that the mind should always be nourished with excellence, experience, and inspiration.

 
 

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a day apart from facebook

Today is Saturday, January 29, 2011. It has also been over 24 hours since I last signed on to facebook. It has not been easy. As a matter of fact, I am highly anxious for Monday to arrive so that I can reunite with facebook and friends.

So here is what I did today without facebook. I slept an hour longer. I was able to listen to class lectures online. I even arrived to work on time. Now, to improvise and satisfy my e-communication craving and instant gratification need, I signed on to my blog a couple of times, re-read and edited a couple of my posts. I admit that my writings always need tweaking, but that’s because our human mind is always processing and always feeling the need to reform one’s work. Well, at least that’s how my mind works. But, honestly, in this instance, it was actually more about filling a void than it was about perfecting blog posts. It was about me getting my “fix” and wanting to be connected with a network of people. This is not good. I think. Or maybe I’m just bored because I’m at work.

The main question that I need to ask of myself is, where is God in all this? I will get back to you with an answer, shortly.

 

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on fasting and spiritual formation

As part of my Spiritual Formation Class, my assignment for this week is fasting, and then writing about my experience. I am to “consider fasting or “abstinence” not only from food but also from an affluent and addictive lifestyle.” I have never tried fasting, so this will be a first.

There are three forms of fasting. The first type is “normal fast.” This means that if food is involved then the person would just abstain from food and liquid, except water. The second type is “partial fast,” which means that fasting is done in moderation. The third type is “absolute fast,” or complete abstinence. This third type is reserved for those true bravery souls. Or, maybe, those crazy ones.

I’ve decided that I would do the third type for this weekend. Not because I’m a braved soul or crazy one (well, that’s up for discussion), but because I feel that this is the right approach for me in order to recognize any signs of effectiveness. The fasting assignment is supposed to be for one week long, so I can always switch to one of the other two next week. We shall see.

Now, since I work 36 hours on the weekend and get by on minimum sleep, I think I really need to nourish my body. It’s not like I eat healthy anyway. So, my fasting will be “abstinence” from facebook.

I have come to realize that I have become too dependent on facebook. Now, facebook in itself is not bad. After all, I use facebook to keep in contact with my families around the globe, old and new friends, colleagues, teachers and/or scholars, etc. I also subscribe to various news sources, which keeps me abreast on local and world events. Facebook in a way is my connection to the world, recreationally, psychologically, academically, and sometimes for humor and sanity. But, I will disclose this, my work involves information, whether it’s related to a particular company, industry, country, region, economy, and so on, I will always be in tune to world news. This means I am always on the internet.

Regardless, this fasting will allow me an opportunity to disconnect temporarily from a certain segment of my affluent and dependent lifestyle, that have seemed to consume my being. The point of fasting or denying oneself of something is to open our souls and truly appreciate and enjoy God’s gifts. In our consumer driven culture, we are often consumed by our everyday habits that we are not conscious of the effects on us. We take every day things for granted, including our friends and family. We take God for granted. And, we certainly take time away from God. So, maybe, we should perhaps pause and reflect. Indeed, “fasting is not primarily a discipline through which I gain greater control over my life, but one through which God gains access to redirect and heal me in body, mind, and spirit.”[1]

Have a good weekend all!

You can call me if it’s important, and leave a message since I don’t answer my phone. 🙂


[1] Marjorie J. Thompson, Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spirituality Life (Louisville: WJK, 2005), 84.

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2011 in Life, Religion, Spirituality, Student life