The Disintegration of Spiritual Communication

I have been thinking a lot about communication for the past day or so. I woke up one morning and immediately remembered an experience which I previously thought that I would never forget.   A while back, I was driving my brother to a school class. My mother was at home with the little ones, and I had been put in charge of safely getting my brother to his destination. I drove him to the house where his class was held and dropped him off at the end of the cul-de-sac. As I turned on my signal to get back into the street, I noticed a green flyer on the door of the house that my brother was going to. I dismissed it quickly, and went to turn onto the main road.   I arrived at the stop sign at the end of the street and had the thought, "Just go back and see what that paper said". I turned around, drove back to the house, and found my brother standing on the front porch, waiting for the door to be answered. No one came, and we eventually realized that the family was out of town, and class was not being held. He jumped into the van, and we drove back home. Neither of us had cell phones, and if I had not acted on that thought, he would have been stranded at an empty house for quite some time.   This was a simple experience, but it stayed with me for quite some time, and I am glad to have recalled it again just recently. As my brother and I rode back, I made a witty, almost sarcastic comment, "See, we don't need cell phones. We have the Spirit." We laughed lightly, but it occured me that what I had just said was completely true, and not a light matter, but a serious one that merited gratitude for the fact that I had been worthy to feel the impressions of the Spirit. I have experienced a few other situations similar to the one that I just shared, though I do not remember the details. Each time, however, it was confirmed to me that ultimately, the gift of the Holy Spirit is the most important "possession" that a person could ask for, and be given.   Eventually, I bought a cell phone for myself. I needed it for my first job as a nanny. For over a year now, I have used it almost regularly. Near the first of this year, I placed that temporal property ahead of the presence of the Spirit. Because of my obsession with this new tool, and my lack of proper judgement and clarity, I made some very poor choices, and lost the ability to feel of the Spirit - though I did not notice it at the time.   As I thought about the past experience with my brother, I realized that one thing that does not seem to be of much importance in society, and even in the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the fact that we as the general populous are losing our capacity to communicate by the Spirit, and to allow the Spirit to communicate to us. Of course, there are the more "popular" evils of the world - secret combinations, the anti-Christ of the redefinition of the family (and everything related to what destroys families - sexualization of children, promiscuity, abortion, adultery), idleness, war, indoctrination, and the list goes on and on; however, do we, do I, understand the dangers of becoming too comfortable with virtual communication?   In his talk from the October 2011 General Conference, entitled A Time to Prepare, Elder Ian S. Arden says this of modern day "conveniences":

"There is much that is good with our easy access to communication and information. I have found it helpful to access research articles, conference talks, and ancestral records, and to receive e-mails, Facebook reminders, tweets, and texts. As good as these things are, we cannot allow them to push to one side those things of the greatest importance. How sad it would be if the phone and computer, with all their sophistication, drowned out the simplicity of sincere prayer to a loving Father in Heaven. Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text."

I am personally guilty of placing the wonders of the internet ahead of the beauties and joys of this Earth, and of my family, and spiritual studies. I have worked hard to cut out the unnecessary and suppressing activities - browsing news sites and blogs for hours on end, playing mindless computer games (even the seemingly "innocent" and "educational" ones), and the endless chats with friends. As I have been striving to utilize my computer and phone as tools, after once abusing their use, I have realized how important it is to be able to communicate with real people - hearing their voices, watching their expressions - as opposed to taking advantage of typing to faceless minds. That it what I think of it as. When I speak to you in a post, when I email a friend, I am speaking through my mind with written words, to real people, yes, but to people whose faces I cannot see.    The mind is a beautiful thing, and in this day and age it is incredible to be able to catch glimpses of a person's mind so often, but it can also be our downfall. When the internet no longer exists, when cell phones are obsolete, what will we do? How will we function without our once-ever-present gadgets that made our lives seemingly more convenient? What will our lives be like if we are not able to convey a message to a family member's spirit, or to even communicate intelligibly by speaking aloud? I have seen what dependency on modern technology does to a person, and it is frightening.   I myself have begun to slip into preferring to write my thoughts, rather than to express them audibly. I can assure you that I do not have a way with words when I actually speak, the way I do when I type or write. Being able to express oneself is important, and if one does that best through the written word, that is not at all bad. But, when a person cannot look a person in the eyes, cannot speak in an intelligent and understandable manner, and would rather be twiddling their fingers over an electronic device, than to actually carry on a conversation with a present human being, therein lies the danger - the disintegration of their ability to speak as a spiritual being. I know it for a fact. I am ashamed to say that I have had that desire to text or email instead overcome me numerous times. I personally prefer texting over phone calls, letters over face-to-face communication. That is a problem, and one that I am seeking to mend.   Elder David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church has stated in plain terms:

"If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are."

Did you catch that? Satan seeks to lure God's children into immorality, and he does a sickeningly-fine job at it; but for those who do not have that weakness, he employs another strategy: that of getting us to believe that the virtual world is more important than the physical realm, and that there is more pleasure in creating our own realities. It is shocking, and it is truth.   Elder Bednar says earlier in the same article, Things as They Really Are,

"I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls."

This is not something to be take lightly, as I regrettably have. This is a huge issue, and one that is unique to this generation. Never have any people in history had to face this type of challenge. With the discoveries of new ways of life - ways that are very good, when used appropriately - there comes the opposition of over-indulgence and twisted reality. Through tempting us to forget what is real, and through us yielding to his temptations, we lose our strength in the Lord, our power over sin, our salvation! There is of course a road of repentance, but how much better it would be if we never strayed down the path of apathy and regret.   In his epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul declares,

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The devil knows the Power of the Spirit of God, and he knows our potential as righteous sons and daughters of our Father, just as God Himself does. He wants to keep us from reaching that potential at all costs. He wants us to lose feeling, to disdain things of a spiritual nature, to forget who we are. As technology increases, his influence grows ever stronger.

And yet, so does the influence of the Spirit. For every wrong, there is a right. Modern conveniences are just that, convenient. Having the scriptures available on our mobile devices is quite handy. Possessing the ability to search for the names of our loved ones so that Temple ordinances can be performed for them much quicker is a very good thing. Being able to send an informative email, or to connect with a new friend through a few finger patterns, in a moment's time, is much appreciated. Having the skills and tools to spread the Gospel to millions of people through a video link, a online profile, or a blog is a great blessing. There is much good in the technology that we have - as long as we use it correctly. That is the key.

As I end, I will state that I fully intend to continue with my blogging, to proceed with my current career, and to utilize my email accounts just as much as before. However, I will use my time more wisely. I will seek to filter out anything else that may be holding me back from reaching my full potential, from hearing and feeling the voice of the Spirit. As I promise this to myself and to the Lord, I challenge each of you; examine your lives, pick out the areas of virtuality that could be removed, resolve to only continue in aiding the Lord.

The strengthening of families, the building up of Zion, the laboring toward exaltation should be our uttermost goals.