It doesn’t matter how old you are, most people in modern society are connected. At home, at work, or in our pocket, we have tremendous access to information that seemingly is without end.
Need to check on a bus schedule, an obscure cultural reference, or a famous quote? It’s right there. Need a recipe using round steak, a book for a sick coworker, or a Bible verse for a particular situation? Just open, type and click.
Just think what search engines have done for us. Vast sums of information are now available to us in mere microseconds.
Mankind has always had a need for information. The accumulation of knowledge has been a quest for millennium. The oldest organized library in history is in Syria – going back to 2,500 B.C. The Royal Library of Alexandria in Egypt was a marvel of the 3rd century B.C., accumulating 400,000 manuscripts from the around the world. The modern Library of Congress was started with the personal collection of Thomas Jefferson and has grown to 838 miles of bookshelf space.
Today, thanks to algorithms, super computers, and the proliferation of personal computers and devices, you can find information on nearly anything from anywhere. It’s not comprehensive, and it’s certainly not always accurate but it makes us feel smart. And when did Google, the company became google, the verb?
I’m starting to revolt against the ability to act like a know-it-all. All of this access to knowledge really hasn’t made society any smarter. We’re still blundering down the same paths of destruction. The mere ability to call up information does little to showcase human intelligence. We still make the same mistakes.
There’s an over-reliance on instant information which short-circuits the brain’s cognitive and reasoning power. This can’t be good for the human race.
Personally, I have found knowledge to be limiting. For example, just because I can read about the history of love, the nuances of the word in different languages, and the top 10 best love quotes, doesn’t make me an expert on the subject.
How many of us, when we are sick, search for causes and treatments on the Internet? It’s easy for a simple upset stomach to morph into food poisoning or a disease from the deadly Ghantu worm thanks to “helpful” searches. I’m certainly no wiser — or healthier — just because I can search for an answer.
I can search for “How to Find Hope,” and have 78 million results in .15 seconds. B
ut all that access to knowledge and information doesn’t do a thing for an empty heart. All the opinions in the world won’t keep me from making foolish choices.
Wouldn’t it be better to search for answers from God, i
nstead of Google? What if relied less on information and focused on discovery which leads to wisdom.
I’m taking a rest from instant information, and in the process I’m learning through observation, contemplation, and experience.
Uncertainty isn’t such a bad thing. Especially when it makes me seek — and find answers.
What He said: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
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