I am not sure what to make of the commercial below. On the one hand it celebrates the many creative acts that take place behind computer screens. On the other, there’s something sadly emblematic about all the solitary figures engrossed in their PCs.
Almost everyone in the commercial is alone behind his or her laptop. Today many people are almost obsessed with the virtual world while seemingly quite uninterested in the real world around them. It is most evident on city streets, on buses, and in the subways, where people stare at their smartphone screens with their earbuds in, only vaguely aware of the people and things around them. Even stranger is to attend family gatherings and see the teenagers not interacting with one another, but instead each plugged into his or her own device texting or playing video games.
I suppose it is a question of balance. Time spent focused on a computer screen can be enriching; it can be a time of creativity. As a writer, I spend quite a bit of time sitting alone at my computer mulling over the most effective way to communicate a particular article of the faith to my readers.
But when do we turn off the electronics and engage with the real people around us? When do we sit down together for dinner? When do we get together to play cards or board games, or even just to talk? When do we take a walk in our neighborhood and engage with our neighbors? When do we go out and attend community meetings? When do we call a friend to actually talk rather than just sending a short text?
Don’t get me wrong; I like my computer. But God and the people He has put in my life are much more important. The reality that God gives me is a much more beautiful place than what I can watch passively on my computer screen.
Below is the link to the commercial. There are a lot of solitary people doing creative things, but it is not clear for whom they are doing them.