Who Is In Control?
We all like to think that we are in control of our lives and our behaviour, but are we? I say this, because I woke up one morning a few days ago, in the dark, and the first thing I did was to tap my watch, expecting it to light up so I could see the time. Nothing happened. There was a fleeting moment of disappointment where I thought my watch must be broken, but then I remembered that I have an old-fashioned analogue watch that doesn’t have any smart functions. All it has are hour, minute, and second hands that go round and round. I’ve also caught myself out a few times swiping the screen of my computer, which doesn’t have a touch screen. All I did was put finger marks on it.
I’ve become so used to tapping and swiping on my phone and my iPad, that, without my realising it, tapping and swiping has become the default way that I interact with devices. So back to where I started, “are we really in control of our lives and our behaviour?” I would suggest that, because of the subtle but pervasive influence of the world around us, we are not. We do things without thinking, and that worries me. Tapping and swiping may not be significant, but how many other things do we do mindlessly, because we have been programmed to act in a certain way.
Our actions have consequences. The bible says that many of us, possibly without realising it, have fallen into the trap of “living as enemies of the cross of Christ” because we have “set our minds on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). And the consequence? “Their destiny is destruction” (Philippians 3:18-19). What is the alternative? How do we take control our behaviour? By being mindful of what we are doing and not operating on autopilot. By filling our minds with the things we choose to put there, things that reflect the best life we can live, and striving for those things. Again, the bible says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-13).
Neil Percival
I’ve become so used to tapping and swiping on my phone and my iPad, that, without my realising it, tapping and swiping has become the default way that I interact with devices. So back to where I started, “are we really in control of our lives and our behaviour?” I would suggest that, because of the subtle but pervasive influence of the world around us, we are not. We do things without thinking, and that worries me. Tapping and swiping may not be significant, but how many other things do we do mindlessly, because we have been programmed to act in a certain way.
Our actions have consequences. The bible says that many of us, possibly without realising it, have fallen into the trap of “living as enemies of the cross of Christ” because we have “set our minds on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). And the consequence? “Their destiny is destruction” (Philippians 3:18-19). What is the alternative? How do we take control our behaviour? By being mindful of what we are doing and not operating on autopilot. By filling our minds with the things we choose to put there, things that reflect the best life we can live, and striving for those things. Again, the bible says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-13).
Neil Percival