The Ven Dr Rachel Mann shared this Pause For Thought on Sunday, 15th September ...
"These really are the days of wonder. As a child of the ‘70s, I am in awe of what we can do using just our smart phones and an internet connection. Need to know who was Prime Minister in 1845? Done. Want to watch cat videos and send messages all around the world at the touch of a screen? There you go. And though this amazing technology is just a few decades old, it's been so transformative that one of my nephews once asked, ‘aunty, what did you do before the internet?’
"For all that there’s misinformation out there on what we used to call the ‘information super-highway’, there’s much to be grateful for. Modern technology has brought so many together and reminded us of the joy of connection. As someone who was shielded for part of the pandemic, I would have been lost without the internet.
"Still, I’m haunted by those words of that great musician Tom Waits: “We live in an age when you say casually to somebody 'What's the story on that?' and they can run to the computer and tell you within five seconds. That's fine, but sometimes I’d just as soon continue wondering. We have a deficit of wonder right now.”
"It’s quite a thought, and the bible reminds me of the importance of wonder. The Gospel of Luke describes people’s reactions to one of Jesus’ miracles like this: ‘Amazement seized them all, and they were filled with wonder and awe, saying, ‘We’ve seen extraordinary things today.’
"So when it comes down to it, what I’m really grateful for is that – despite everything – if I just look there is wonder all around. I can look out of the window and see goldfinches feeding at my bird table … my heart soars when I watch clouds scud across the sky … I still can’t get over how I can speak by video to people around the world from my living room. Everyday I’m grateful for the extraordinary things right before my eyes. And then I smile at those words of my nephew: ‘Aunty, what did you do before the internet?’ The answer: ‘Well, pretty much what I do now, only a little more slowly.’"