Article July 13, 2009 Issue

STAYING CONNECTED

JILL AARON

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

"DON'T YOU LIKE TO BE CONNECTED?" a friend of mine asked. We were discussing the relative merits of new electronic media, including social-networking websites and other Internet-based services, and how they're changing the way we get and share news.

"Of course I do," I replied. But I also told her I find that the barrage of instantly available information, much of it inane, threatens to divert my attention from what I need most—time to think deeply so that I'm ready to respond with healing ideas when others call on me to pray for them.

Don't get me wrong. I'm neither a recluse nor a Luddite. I enjoy using the tools provided by new technologies and media. They help keep me informed and responsive to the needs of others around the world. They allow me to be in touch with those who might not otherwise reach me. And they even make this newspaper accessible in new and convenient ways.

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