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THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Thought for the Day #77 – Wednesday, June 17, 2020

“Knowing to Exit the Screen”

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Four months ago, it was not uncommon to spend an evening with other
people at a restaurant. As we sat around ordering, waiting for the meal to
arrive or perhaps even as we were starting to eat, many of us would inevitably
end up with our cellphones in our hands. We thought we were actually meet-
ing up with each other, yet we would sometimes find ourselves isolated from
them as we were busy communicating with someone else on our cellphone. It
is not easy to be truly together when everyone has a screen in hand!

With this pandemic, we have perhaps noticed some things we have taken
for granted more specifically, the ability to spend quality, in-person time with
others and the importance of human contact.

That being said, screens have been useful tools, enabling us to have video-
conferences with friends and loved ones. This has helped us alleviate our
sense of isolation and to see and talk to people, but we are aware that it is not
enough. It cannot replace real human contact and meeting up in person.
Perhaps one day, during this time of re-opening, when we can calmly,
quietly find the chance to communicate with others , to meet up with others,
to greet each other, we will keep our cell phones in our pockets or purses and
allow ourselves to be totally available to those in our presence.

Are we free to meet up with each other? Are we free of our devices? Are we
freed from our screens?

If we were able to come out of this pandemic freed from our screens, so
that when we are with people, we are fully present and available to them, this
would be a beautiful fruit, a beautiful consequence, a way of drawing good
from this experience which has been tragic and difficult for many, indeed, for
all of us.

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 92