And Jesus said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his [accomplishments]." And he told them a parable, saying, "The [mind] of a rich [wo]man produced plentifully, and [s]he thought to [her]self, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my [thoughts]?' And [s]he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my [blog] and build [a more accomplished one], and there I will store all my [thoughts] and my [writings]. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample [publications and a great reputation]; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to [her], 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Catfish was pretty good.

I guess it doesn't hurt when your stars are easy on the eyes. But also, I think it achieved its aim to raise questions about how humans connect in a digital age. Here are some questions the movie raised in me.

1) How does the avatar we "fashion" for ourselves contribute to our identity as a whole?

2)Is there anything psychologically taxing about fooling ourselves or others into thinking we are more like our avatar and less like ourselves?

3) Why do we feel some need to turn from people outside of our immediate proximity and toward other Internet avatars to know and be known?

4) What are some healthy guidelines for "being real" online (or connecting with others in a "real" way)?

5) Specifically, in the instance of the woman Angela: how could we, as the Church, have sought out a woman deep in the pit of hopelessness to provide for her need? We ought to begin by identifying her physical, emotional, and/or spiritual need(s).

6) a. If the chief end of man is "to glorify God and enjoy him forever," what is the role of the Internet in this? b. Does putting time into "fashioning" online avatars glorify Him?

(My gut on that last one: no.)

You think; I'll think. And then we will meet with each other face-to-face and discuss.

1 comment:

  1. Lyndsey, I tried to link back to your site to follow your blog, and ended up "following" my own instead. Now I can't figure out how to unfriend myself! Anyway, thanks for checkin' me out. Didn't know you had a blog. I'm glad the catfish was good.

    (see, I related it, didn't I?)

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