Would Jesus Buy an iPhone? 2.0

Jesus: What else, Chloe, what is your big pro of buying an iPhone?

Chloe: Well…there is…the “cool” factor…

Jesus: Ah…tell me, what do you mean by “cool” and why is it important?

Chloe: Cool is cutting edge. Something new, fresh.

Jesus: So cool is being “different”…

Jesus: What else, Chloe, what is your big pro of buying an iPhone?

Chloe: Well…there is…the “cool” factor…

Jesus: Ah…tell me, what do you mean by “cool” and why is it important?

Chloe: Cool is cutting edge. Something new, fresh.

Jesus: So cool is being “different”…

Chloe: Yes, the cog in the wheel, the man in the gray flannel suit…is fading out…definitely not cool.

Jesus: So everyone is a rebel. Why is radical autonomy “cool”?

Chloe: Because there is this space deep inside that is fenced off. There is a sign on the fence that reads, “No Admittance.” It’s my piece of the Universe where my word, my opinions hold sway. Far away from the masses. I’m free. I’m uniquely me. And what’s cool is something that allows me to better express my heart, my creativity… All my friends have or want the new iPhone.

Jesus: Looks like the best way to sell products these days is to make them an emblem of dissent. If you want to express your individuality, buy an iPhone. But if all your friends want them, buy them…how “different” is that?

Chloe:…well…

Jesus: Chloe, how can everyone be a rebel without becoming captive to a new culture of group think? I look around on the college campuses…I see a massive urge to conform to current ideas of cool…

Chloe: We may use the same technology but we all do such radically different things with it.

Jesus: You all share links and apps and music files. You’re all on Facebook. You all post and read each other’s outings on Gowalla. You all play Angry Birds and compare scores…perhaps the thing you really want is not freedom and autonomy but community.

Chloe: We want both.

Jesus: I know. And yet I see so many of you gathered at a table or walking together down a street…but you’re not giving your presence to one another. Each is talking or texting or browsing…

Chloe: …on our phones. I do think about that. We’re distracted, only half dialed in to each other…Too often I feel jangled…but if I unplug it’s too quiet. I get antsy…

Jesus: You are physically becoming attuned to a very high level of stimulation. It can leading to anhedonia…the diminishment or loss of being able to feel joy or even pleasure because it takes more and more stimulation to physically generate the feelings. Look Chloe…it’s not a sin to have a smart phone. What you don’t want to miss is the unhurried face to face conversation. The ability to listen well, enter deeply into the thoughts, feelings and experiences of another. You want the time to think creatively about how to find your way into that sacred space at the core of another person. The iPhone keeps you connected, but only at a certain level. And… if you post a “No Admittance” sign at that deep center and are determined to always call the shots…how can you give yourself to others? How can autonomy nurture intimacy?

Chloe: It’s hard. I want to do what I want to do when I want to do it. The new iStuff makes that so easy.

Jesus: And that is the real dilemma, isn’t it? Not whether to buy an iphone or not. Are you strong enough to control the technology or will it assimilate you into a culture that pushes true intimacy and the richness of reflection further out of reach?