Wondering and the Internet

In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based formation program for children, a key concept is wonder: both in the sense of the wonder of God, and also wondering about God.

I am in a process of spiritual direction and one of the things that has spurred me to do is to take mindful time to wonder more.

Multiple times each day, I "need" to know something that, in the past, I would have had to expend some effort to find.

The phone number of the sewing machine repair place, for instance. Directions to a location in another city. Hey, what else has that actor been in?

I'd have had to use a phone book, a map, and a good old-fashioned trip to the library to find out those things 15 years ago...

but now, all I have to do is ask Google.

I don't even have to type any more. I just say, "Okay, Google" and then I can dictate my query.

"Okay, Google, Denton Sewing Machine Center."

"Okay, Google, what was the Protestant Reformation?"

"Okay, Google, recipe for stuffed artichokes."

"Okay, Google, why is a can opener called a "church key"?

Google is really good at information. But I think that I have become so accustomed to instant gratification from that source that I tend to dismiss, forget to wonder about, things that I am not able to answer that way.

"Okay, Google, what's the right life path for me to take?"

"Okay, Google, will my broken relationship be repaired? How? What should I do next?"

"Okay, Google, how can I feel more comfortable in my own skin?"

"Okay, Google, how much time do I have left?"

Things just happen too darn fast any more.

I was approached recently about a Snapchat account for my office, to reflect the student programming we do. The person approaching was a student, natch. I don't use the platform, I know it exists and has a logo that looks like a little ghost. That's it. So I Googled it (of course) and watched a video about how (mostly) kids use it and what kinds of things they use it for. And it made me want to hide under my bed.

Apparently the attraction of Snapchat is that you have to be watching all the time or you will miss the post, because posts don't stay (as on Facebook) but go away. So the people who use it are on it constantly.

and that's where I draw the line (for me personally)

because I'm already on Facebook and email a really lot. But I can't stand the idea of being on anything constantly.

My soul is telling me I need to go the other way, and in a hurry.

My soul needs more time for wonder. Both kinds.