The Silent Thief: How Dementia and Digital Distractions Steal Our Memories
My family has been ravaged by dementia for years. Both my mother and my wife’s mother suffered from this debilitating condition, each diagnosed in their fifties. Their journeys were long and arduous, affecting not only them but also their loved ones. Dementia is a thief, stealing memories and altering personalities. It’s a cruel fate, one that ultimately took their lives far too soon.
The Church’s Struggle with Spiritual Amnesia
The church is not immune to a similar kind of forgetfulness. This spiritual dementia is a self-inflicted wound, often the result of neglect or rebellion. Throughout history, Christians have forgotten crucial aspects of their faith, leading to heresy and moral decay. In the fourth century, the Arians forgot Jesus’ true nature. Medieval popes and leaders prioritized power over shepherding. Christians during the 1500s to 1800s forgot the inherent dignity of all people, leading to the horrors of slavery. In the twentieth century, many German Protestants failed to obey God, instead supporting the Nazi regime.
The Digital Age and the Loss of Theological Memory
In today’s digital landscape, the risk of spiritual dementia increases. As a church historian and pastor, I believe our highly digital existence compounds the potential for losing our theological and ethical memory. The internet, with its constant stream of information, can drive us to prioritize the present moment over the bigger stories and wider contexts that give our lives meaning. We forget the narrative arc of Scripture, the stories of our families, communities, nations, vocations, and the story of Christianity itself.
The Internet’s Insidious Influence
No technology is neutral. The internet, in particular, seeks to dominate every aspect of our lives. It demands our attention, seduces us into allegiance, and withers our souls until we become diminished versions of ourselves. The internet conditions us to embrace the “arrogance of amnesia,” assuming we know more than those who came before us due to our access to limitless content. This digitally induced amnesia is a threat to our very identity.
The Memory Hole of the Digital Age
The internet functions like an ever-present, ever-growing memory hole, keeping us fixated on the present and rewarding engagement with what is current and seemingly urgent. This isn’t a bug, but a feature of the internet. As Nicholas Carr argues, “The Net seizes our attention only to scatter it.” This is a paradox that promises to have a profound influence on how we think and remember.
The Imperative of Remembering
In the face of dementia and digital distractions, it’s essential that we remember. We must recall the stories that form us, the narrative arc of Scripture, and the lessons of church history. We must resist the internet’s insidious influence and reclaim our theological and ethical memory. Only then can we remain faithful to our calling as Christians and avoid the pitfalls of spiritual dementia.
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