It’s because I am frustrated with some of the content out there so I want to remain engaged in what’s happening in this space and (hopefully) be a light here…We can allow it to be a place where hurt and dark dwells or we can share encouragement and love. Love wins.
Emily Freeman writes this in her monthly letter to readers today:
Mister Rogers started his show because he was frustrated with children’s programming.
“I went into television because I hated it so,” Rogers said in an interview with CNN in 1999.” And I thought, “there’s some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen.”
And in the same way, this is what I think of the online world. It’s because I am frustrated with some of the content out there so I want to remain engaged in what’s happening in this space and (hopefully) be a light here. It’s not the typical mission field that most are called to but it is a place where people are…some who may not have any other place to go…some who are searching for answers… We can allow it to be a place where hurt and dark dwells or we can share encouragement and love. Love wins.
Recently, I came to know about a speaker who speaks to students across the country about what media is doing to their generation…actually, I don’t think he has to tell them, they know…their state of mental health is not good, and he is encouraging parents to stop giving smartphones to their kids. I think that’s great and it looks like he is doing amazing things! But there are some kiddos who are already sucked in and whatnot, and they aren’t hearing this message and/or their parents aren’t aware, and that’s where those who are there can be a beacon of hope and inspiration instead of whatever it is they might find (or are looking for).
Well, there’s more to unpack but I just had a short moment to sit at an actual laptop to process and reflect after I finished printing out a page that needed printing out. :p
Also, if you haven’t already seen it, I shared a small piece of my online journey in the digital story I created this summer. You can check it out on TheStoryFactory‘s Facebook or Youtube accounts, as well as stories from many of our friends who have produced their digital stories through the workshops last year and this year.
Not related but also in Emily Freeman’s email letter is this little quote:
But “kind and gentle” is not code for “passive and weak.”