Rector’s Ramblings – March 7, 2024

I recently came across an article that described the increasing use of the “Do Not Disturb” function on phones. You’ve probably used or encountered it already, especially if you have an iPhone. When texting another iPhone user, settings allow a return response letting a person know you are on Do Not Disturb, for example. Other times, the person on the other end doesn’t know that the feature is turned on. A couple of system updates ago, the iPhone’s operating platform began offering a multitude of options for the Do Not Disturb feature, including Personal, Work, Sleep, School, and Driving. And, if those aren’t enough options, we can create our own option with custom parameters.

 

Customizing allows us to determine what alerts (if any) we want to receive when one of the options is selected, and it can also allow only certain people to reach us via phone or text when turned on. Beyond that, we can have temporary wallpapers and home screens to reduce distractions in other ways. No matter what options one might choose, the result is that we’re setting parameters on when and how we are reachable via our phones. Although these features have existed for over a decade, they have become more elaborate and frequently utilized for a simple reason: people want and use them.

 

I’m old enough to remember the days before cell phones, at least before we all had them. I also remember the advent of the BlackBerry and the iPhone and a hostof other new technologies that forever changed how we communicate and, although we didn’t know it at the time, also changed how we expect to interact with one another. Over the last fifteen years, we have accelerated our dependence and addiction to these technologies, and it has reshaped how we communicate and how we navigate the boundaries of relationships and work. Not always for the good.

 

In the article, the author noted that for some people, NOT being able to get ahold of soliciting a response from someone instantaneously is seen as an affront. Admittedly, always being on Do Not Disturb can send a frosty message, intentionally or unintentionally. Short of that permanent firewall, however, we have developed an expectation that if a person has a cell phone, they should always be available. Texting has replaced emails and phone calls for many people, and while we have gotten used to (and don’t like) that it takes time to respond to an email or that calls often go to voicemail, texts carry a sense of urgency, and the desire for a quick response.

 

Apple’s user interface lumps all of the Do Not Disturb options under something they simply call “Focus,” which is a helpful way to look at it. Engineers have undoubtedly experienced the frustration of working on a line of code or trying to complete a task while a stream of notifications comes in. And yes, notifications include calls and texts and all those pop-up reminders from apps that are even more pervasive and legion. 

 

All the interruptions can be stopped temporarily (or permanently) using a Focus setting. Doing so is, frankly, essential for our mental and spiritual health. We know this, and yet we struggle to do anything about it. Common Sense Media, for example, shared a study last fall that reported that the median number of notifications a teenager receives daily is north of 270. For twenty percent of teens, it’s more than 500. Constant distraction is detrimental, even if we don’t fully understand the full extent of the damage yet. Adults aren’t faring much better. 

 

This season, we have talked about Sabbath and making space, and learning how to coexist with our phones is a part of that. We need to be able to turn things off now and then to just be with ourselves, our loved ones, and with God. We also need to acknowledge that it’s not selfish to ensure that we’re not always available. This is a very modern problem for humans – we’ve only been struggling with this in the blink of an eye in a historical sense. We may need to rethink our relationship with technology. We should also give people room to reclaim their lives. If we need something from someone and they don’t get back to us, we shouldn’t get anxious or take it personally. Chances are they are engaged in something that is just as important to them as we are. 

 

It would be lovely if we could avoid all the annoyances, pains, and responsibilities of life for a while, too, but that’s not part of the operating system God made us with. The best we can do is to try to find peace and make the space for thriving that is in keeping with our divine user manual, which includes protecting our time and attention in a culture of always being connected. I pray we all find a way to regularly build some Do Not Disturb time into our lives. Fair warning: don’t try to get ahold of me for the next hour. I won’t respond.

 

Tom+

 

O God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us
dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before
the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes
for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in
making provision for its future in accordance with your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

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