Wired magazine has a great article from a couple of weeks back about how many digital natives (people under the age of 25 that have grown up with technology) consider it rude to leave voicemail messages or call them when you could just text. Many of the things that older generations consider to be good etiquette are now considered rude by most 12-24 year olds. Selinger’s article reminds us, however: “Relationships are fragile, and they require effort to preserve. Shortcuts won’t do; you often have to say more than just the essential facts. Viewing personal communication in overly reductive terms makes tenuous connections even more fragile. Furthermore, appeals for technologically efficient etiquette and my daughter wanting more time to play share something else in common: the selfish desire to dictate the terms of a relationship.” Often times we are annoyed that someone has interrupted our time with a phone call, but it stems from a selfish (and unbiblical) desire to see time as “ours.” As parents and educators it is important that we teach our kids that time does not belong to them alone and that we convey our appreciation and love of others when we share our time.
Irrigating Deserts 