“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Recent comments about young people and their “devices” would lead one to believe that technology is the work of the devil. There are those who blame recent inventions for many undesirable actions. They are upset that young people will talk on their cell phones instead of talking to people around them. They feel that too much time is spent on computers, cell phones, etc.
On the other hand, there are many people who feel that technology is wonderful and the answer to many problems. Some may say, “Why do kids have to memorize facts when they can easily look up information on the Internet?” Another comment often heard is, “Why should children have to learn multiplication tables when we have calculators?”
The truth is that all of the devices are simply tools that should be used wisely to accomplish positive outcomes. It is not the device that is at fault, but rather the individual who may not use the device wisely when less than positive actions are observed.
Children should be taught early in life that choices have to be made to use any invention wisely. A car can take us to a bad place or a good place. We can watch good things on TV or choose to watch bad things. We can spend too much time on devices and use them unwisely or discipline ourselves to be wise in their use. Those who are rude and talk on the cell phone in the presence of others have not learned good manners. It is not the fault of the phone. It is the fault of the person using the phone. That person has not learned that the basis of all good manners is kindness and consideration of others.
Before we buy into the idea that children should no longer have to memorize facts, let’s consider that decisions are made based on the facts we have in our heads, not the facts in the computer. Spur-of-the-moment decisions have to be made constantly. If a person does not have the facts needed to make those decisions in the mind, that person cannot make a good decision. The same person wouldn’t even know what facts to look up without some background of information in the mind. Also, memorization is necessary for training the mind. We need to be very careful about doing away with the memorization of multiplication tables and many other useful facts.
We are blessed to have many new tools available for our use to be more productive, but if a child is not taught to properly use the tools, we are making a mistake. New inventions have come on the scene through the ages. Rules for using those inventions include age-old rules found in the greatest book ever written. These rules are based on love of God and men. If we have a love of these two rules (commandments) in our hearts, the proper use of technology and other inventions will present little or no problems.
