Diversion
First of all, it's been too long since I've sat down and written anything.
The inspiration for this post came due to a conversation I was having with my lovely girlfriend.
We were chatting over g-mail, and, at one point in the conversation, she asked me if I was playing a computer game. It struck me rather hard that my lack of attention was so evident, and I was saddened that I had not given her the simple honor of my full attention.
Obviously, she can't have my full attention continuously, but I was saddened that she should ever lose my attention to a video-game. Later in the conversation, I asked that, in the future, she discourage me from playing computer games whilst talking with her. After that comment, we started talking about diversions and what makes a diversion good and when it becomes bad. Because she said she wanted to discuss "diversion" further — and because it's just been way too bloody long since I've written anything in this sad, little blog — I decided to hash through some thoughts.
A fulcrum by which I try to hinge all things: " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).
Love God; love His humans.
I am to love God and love His humans. Long story short, I venture to guess that my time should be spent loving God and His humans. Loving God includes worshiping Him: wielding our humanness in such a way that it reveals God's good work in our lives. God's work can be redemptive – saving us from our own shit – or creative – bestowing upon us good gifts that we may live bright, fruitful lives. (Obviously, God's work can be an infinitude of other things, but I specifically chose these two toward the end of discussing diversions. I'm getting there; bear with me.)
All this to say: I may spend my time creating good, honorable things. Playing the guitar creates music. Writing literature creates stories or poetry. Folding paper creates origami. Building, painting, exercising, swimming: all these and more may be worshipful and consequently good uses of time...
I seem to be getting muddled.
I am trying to make a distinction between bad diversions and good diversions.
My general point is that bad diversions are those which are for their own sake, things that pass the time just so that time can be passed.
Good diversions are those by which one loves God and loves His children.
I think much of what makes the issue confusing is that there is no consensus about what it means to love God or to love His children.
Long story short, God and His children should be the top priority. How exactly this prioritizing should look is far beyond me, but I will say that playing a video-game that hardly stimulates my brain, hardly invokes any rest, doesn't serve anyone else, and detracts from my ability to respond to my girlfriend attentively and thoughtfully is a bad use of my time. If an activity is accomplishing nothing obligatory, is serving no one, is not improving any of my capacities, and is interfering with my relationships, then it cannot be worshipful and should be undone.
On a more summarized note,
diversions that draw me closer to God or humans are good diversions, and
diversions that draw me into myself and make me more isolated are bad diversions.
I could ramble endlessly about what it means to love God or His children. I could ramble endlessly about the nuances between really doing something worshipfully and just doing something. I could ramble endlessly about the threshold between creating and just performing.
So I will leave it simply at,
"Diversions that draw me closer to God or humans are good diversions, and
The inspiration for this post came due to a conversation I was having with my lovely girlfriend.
We were chatting over g-mail, and, at one point in the conversation, she asked me if I was playing a computer game. It struck me rather hard that my lack of attention was so evident, and I was saddened that I had not given her the simple honor of my full attention.
Obviously, she can't have my full attention continuously, but I was saddened that she should ever lose my attention to a video-game. Later in the conversation, I asked that, in the future, she discourage me from playing computer games whilst talking with her. After that comment, we started talking about diversions and what makes a diversion good and when it becomes bad. Because she said she wanted to discuss "diversion" further — and because it's just been way too bloody long since I've written anything in this sad, little blog — I decided to hash through some thoughts.
A fulcrum by which I try to hinge all things: " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).
Love God; love His humans.
I am to love God and love His humans. Long story short, I venture to guess that my time should be spent loving God and His humans. Loving God includes worshiping Him: wielding our humanness in such a way that it reveals God's good work in our lives. God's work can be redemptive – saving us from our own shit – or creative – bestowing upon us good gifts that we may live bright, fruitful lives. (Obviously, God's work can be an infinitude of other things, but I specifically chose these two toward the end of discussing diversions. I'm getting there; bear with me.)
All this to say: I may spend my time creating good, honorable things. Playing the guitar creates music. Writing literature creates stories or poetry. Folding paper creates origami. Building, painting, exercising, swimming: all these and more may be worshipful and consequently good uses of time...
I seem to be getting muddled.
I am trying to make a distinction between bad diversions and good diversions.
My general point is that bad diversions are those which are for their own sake, things that pass the time just so that time can be passed.
Good diversions are those by which one loves God and loves His children.
I think much of what makes the issue confusing is that there is no consensus about what it means to love God or to love His children.
Long story short, God and His children should be the top priority. How exactly this prioritizing should look is far beyond me, but I will say that playing a video-game that hardly stimulates my brain, hardly invokes any rest, doesn't serve anyone else, and detracts from my ability to respond to my girlfriend attentively and thoughtfully is a bad use of my time. If an activity is accomplishing nothing obligatory, is serving no one, is not improving any of my capacities, and is interfering with my relationships, then it cannot be worshipful and should be undone.
On a more summarized note,
diversions that draw me closer to God or humans are good diversions, and
diversions that draw me into myself and make me more isolated are bad diversions.
I could ramble endlessly about what it means to love God or His children. I could ramble endlessly about the nuances between really doing something worshipfully and just doing something. I could ramble endlessly about the threshold between creating and just performing.
So I will leave it simply at,
"Diversions that draw me closer to God or humans are good diversions, and
diversions that draw me into myself and make me more isolated are bad diversions."
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