Being asked to serve on a panel of professors for the Christianity in the Academy conference is an intimidating request. Adding to that scenario the other panelists come from the disciplines of computer science, engineering, and theology, I’m a little doubtful that my perspective on flourishing at life from a health and wellness perspective will be all that enlightening; however, I can offer that it will be practical! So, in order to summarize years of research, on Emerging Adulthood and how this generation can flourish at life, into an eight-minute reaction to Non-Computable You, I’m choosing the phrase Wary Not Worry.
If one of the benefits of current technology is to enable us to sift through large amounts of information, I’m going to utilize this attribute to narrow down the various definitions for Wary into the following: keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger. For me, this definition captures the essence that we will always be assessing and evaluating new technologies, but we should do so with caution and watchfulness. I am forever grateful that I am no longer sitting on the bench of a basketball game attempting to track stats with paper and pencil, the computer has saved me from relying on my brain to compute it all quickly; however, there still needs to be a human observer creating the information being entered through the keyboard. For now anyway, the computer is incapable of knowing who to credit for that assist. In this application, embracing the technology has no Worry attached. We all benefit from the efficiency of quicker stat reports and game analysis.
Now, move this discussion into nutrition classes regarding the use of wearable fitness devices and the Wary Not Worry phrase creates a little more debate. Here, we must weigh the pros and cons of utilizing such technology in managing our physical health. It’s great that we can be reminded that our bodies have been sitting too long and need more steps to reach our goal, we agree this is good. However, are we now depending on an outside source to make us mindful of our level of daily activity or, even more detrimental, can we become so obsessed with reaching a step goal that we are focused on the wrong thing in caring for the temple of the Holy Spirit?
Since Adam and Eve in the garden, we, as human beings living in a fallen world, have been forced to intentionally decide how we will use the tools available to us. These tools will continue to evolve and change. God will continue to give humans some great ideas that will have numerous benefits to our flourishing, but they do not come with wisdom on how to use them. We need to cultivate that wisdom, and our students need us to coach them through this journey.
So, I will continue to be Wary when a “new” technology comes along, remember the Segway was the next big transportation idea and how many of us traveled today using that mode of transportation? But because I am Non-Computable and Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, I will not worry that technology will overrun our humanity. In choosing to be Wary but Not Worry, I will end with this quote from Craig Detweiler in iGods, “We celebrate technology as a gift but resist the temptation to prostrate ourselves before it. We must not let it fashion and mold us into its insistent (now!), efficient (faster!), and greedy (more!) image. We are made for more than information processing. When it comes to technology, our challenge is not to succumb to the temptation to know or possess everything as self-anointed iGods. We must embrace our limits while expanding our hunger for knowledge and understanding; that’s practical wisdom.”
So, whether you choose to call it a Digital Philosophy or use Detweiler’s phrase “theology of technology,” let’s engage the emerging generations in gaining practical wisdom when it comes to their use of digital technology. As we navigate new territory and specifically for those who have influence over young people, how do you see them being wisely guided through this digital age? Please consider sharing your experiences in the comments below.
References:
Detweiler, C. (2014). iGods: How technology shapes our spiritual and social lives. Brazos Press.
Marks, R. (2022). Non-computable you: What you do that artificial intelligence never will. [Kindle version]. Discovery Institute.
Merriam-Webster. (2023). Wary. In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wary
Flourishing @ Life 
I enjoyed reading this blog post and being more enlightened with digital technology. I believe that it is very important that we understand how to use technology in a beneficial way, especially in raising kids in this new digital age. Being raised within this age myself, my parents always tried to make sure a time limit was set on my brother and my screen time. They made sure we were physically active by playing outside, reading, and doing other things that help us grow into beneficial adults. Technology is not always a bad thing, as long as it used properly and other wisdom-building tasks or activities are incorporated into one’s life as well.
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I really like the word ‘wary’. It is not used a lot anymore, but for me it means to be thoughtful and take a minute to evaluate the situation. I find myself pulled along in this “immediate gratification” world where people, me included, expect answers, solutions or even our food orders right now! Technology has certainly helped create this phenomenon but ultimately, we did this to ourselves. Technology is just a tool. I have an older friend that says all the time, “the computer is just an electric pencil with easy access to information”. It is up to us to use technology wisely, warily, and for a specific purpose.
I enjoyed the part about the all the wearable fitness products out that there and how they can lead to worry and stress about not being as fit as we need to be. I have a Whoop fitness device and it tells me if I have good quality sleep. I found myself worrying about not getting enough sleep when my Whoop said I did not rest well, even if I felt good when I woke up. It took me a while to realize that I did not need to add more worry and concern, just learn to use this information as one of many indicators of my health and fitness. I do think we all need to proceed with caution with the use of technology and social media. It can consume you in a minute. Like you mentioned, it is great to have access to virtually anything you want to look up, but it is also a thief of your time and concentration if you let it.
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I thought that this article was very helpful in adjusting my focus. Worrying in general only creates stress. There really isn’t any benefit to stressing out about something. If we were instead able to be wary about our circumstances then we can actually be proactive in how we handle something intimidating. Wariness is not equivalent to worry. When you are wary you are aware of what is going on and suspicious of other’s intentions. I think that this is an especially good approach to take regarding social media. It can definitely be fun and enjoyable, but there is a vendetta behind each app and ad. They aren’t necessarily malicious, but they are trying to accomplish their goal which is to make a profit. I enjoyed Dr. Powell’s approach to the concept of wariness towards technology. She offered a well supported and well rounded perspective. I liked that she was direct in what she wanted to say, but not completely dismissive.
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I liked the word “wary” that was being used in the article many times. I never heard of that word much until reading this article. Overall, I enjoyed reading the article. I liked about the information of technology. It taught be that there are times when I should not trust technology and that there are times when technology is my friend. When I was in middle school, my parents put me on a restriction on when I can use my phone and when I had to turn my phone in. That helped a lot because they wanted us not be to our phones a lot when we would start college. Since college, I have been on my phone less and I have deleted snapchat and Instagram. I am outside or at a sporting event most of the time. Technology can be good at times, if we are using it correctly.
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