Article January 1, 1999 ISSUE

Parents, grandparents, and cyberspace

Martin Licht

When you think that Apple Corporation was founded in a garage in 1976, it's amazing how today's society is penetrated with computers. They've caused a phenomenon in the history of humankind — almost a cultural revolution.

Here's what I mean. Since time began, knowledge was usually passed on from the older generation to the younger generation. Today, though, parents and teachers have to face the fact that kids and teenagers often know a lot more than they do about computers. Today's kids roam in a cyberworld that many adults know little or nothing about.

Yet computer knowledge isn't everything. To be able to get the virtual cult star Lara Croft in the game “Tomb Raider 3” into level 124 doesn't mean that one is able to cope successfully with real life. Chat rooms and news groups don't replace the warmth of direct, personal conversation. And one is not necessarily going to perfect spiritual consciousness by joining the mailing list under “www.God.com.”

But computers today are useful tools. Take a program like Concord, for example, which helps people research the Bible and the books Mary Baker Eddy wrote. This program doesn't eliminate the need for spiritual growth. But it can be a help in understanding God better. And an e-mail to a friend in Australia, reaching him or her within a few moments, is a good reminder of spiritual communication — the instantaneous connection we have with God.

So share these tools. Share your knowledge of computers with adults. Help your mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa realize that it's not hard to learn about e-mails or the Internet or word processing. It's lots I of fun. Help them explore cyberspace — and discover that God's there, too.:)

Martin Licht
Berlin, Germany

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