Fasting from
information is no less important for a contemporary person than fasting from
food. Excessive consumption of information, which can even be labeled as “information
gluttony”, is a widespread pestilence. Excessive consumption of information is
the scourge of modern era, and that is why there isn’t anything about it in the
rules of fast. This is not to say that consuming too much information has a
lesser impact on our souls than overeating.
A Christian man
shared how he had decided to refrain from watching TV for a month. In spite of
his not having been too much of a TV fan previously, he felt so much pressure
to switch on the TV that he likened it to drug addiction: he would even wake up
in the middle of the night to watch TV secretly. Honestly, what do you
personally crave more: boiled food or online entertainment? (I’m not speaking
of work-related computer use. I’m speaking of using gadgets for entertainment,
that is, for useless chatting and satisfying one’s curiosity).
Needless to say, a
TV or a tablet is nothing but a tool, which can be a source of either good or
bad knowledge. Reasonable amount of information is as important as quality of
that information. Here is some advice:
- stop using
gadgets and TV for the duration of the fast and turn to spiritually edifying
books. It will help you realize how much we rely on mass media. Do they serve
us or vice versa?
- at least, stop
following the news. If that sounds impossible, try to recall the hottest topics
in the news from three days ago. Are you sure you really can’t live without
that information vapor? If you are afraid that you’ll miss something really
important, don’t worry: people around you will never give you a chance not to
learn about the important event that happened while you were unplugged.
Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds
Source: https://azbyka.ru/days/2018-12-05
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