Me, Myself, and I - I, I, I

During August, I went to my first diocesan conference. It was a day dedicated to speakers, workshops, and prayer. Our keynote speaker of the day, Fr. Richard Fragomeni, had some wonderful concepts in his talk that day. I would like to share a few of his thoughts today, so that you can contemplate their meaning along with me.

In this blog, I'll be discussing the idea of the iPod. When discussing this idea, Fr. Fragomeni acted like he was impersonating George of the Jungle, beating his fist on his chest and declaring: "iPod... iPhone... myspace..." I can't remember exactly what he said to clarify the point he was trying to make, but I remember going on my own thinking tangent at this point (which I think is sometimes the hope that speakers have - that even if their point isn't made, at least their words made the listeners think, and hopefully in the right general direction). My mind drifted to recalling how selfish we have all become in our wants for worldly things and to confuse them with what we think are our needs.

How many of you haven't looked at the new iPods or new Blackberry phones or shiny new Volvos or Jeeps and thought: "Wow, I want that, I need that, it will complete me." This artificial need is becoming even more apparent in the new titles of these objects, such as the iPod, myspace, enV (cell phone), Instinct (cell again)…and these different things that we buy are supposed to do the talking for us, as if to explain who we are: I'm good enough to have my own space, or an 'i' phone that is clearly mine, or my cell phone is the envy of all other phones, or it was purely instinct for me to buy this phone - obviously! (I may be eating those words next spring, since I have been eyeing the Instinct as my next phone….I may need to reconsider now…)

I wonder if products with names that meant something completely different, like love, compassion, caring, etc, would sell well to consumers? But even thinking of these names on a new product only pulls up images in my mind of how the product would serve me, to give me love or to care for me. Even if they gave the product the name "God", I would simply think that the product should work perfectly and never age or malfunction. It's a scary thought, since it shows how diluted we all are in our wants and desires on this earth. It also shows how well-trained the marketers have made our generation... (just check out all of the "advertisements" I found through a quick image search! We have used the new "i(whatever)" to define ourselves, what we like and who we are...)
So today, as you grab your iPod or your cell phone, look at the "problems" with them - like how they're "old," "outdated," or how they are malfunctioning…look at these "flaws" and embrace them (I'm sure that none of you has the 'newest' gadget in every area, even if you have a new iphone, I doubt you have the newest iPod or newest cell phone to be released). Look at this item, and look at its "flaws", the worn edges, the black and white screen (which is almost completely out of existence these days), the non-ability to slide out a keyboard on your cell, the camera that only offers 5 megapixels…look at these items, and try to view them in a better light. Look at them with your true giving heart, look at them and say: "Wow, I am lucky to have this amazing piece of technology. Sure, it's not the newest and it's not going to help my reputation at school, but it works and it completes the functions that I need it to do."

Once our minds get out of the marketed mindset, our minds can then be open for more amazing things to come into view. We can clear our minds and clear our heads to come back into focus on seeing God's beauty in what we have been given, rather than seeing the yearning of the things that we have not been given.

Quote from Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21, 24:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

Side note: While going to look up the verse to add to the end of today's post, I pulled out my brand new Catholic Youth Bible…I noticed that one of the first pages was folded back (I could tell it had been folded during shipping and possibly earlier than that), so I straightened it out, and then I found out that this page has been folded ever since it was printed…the printing is complete on both sides of the page, but when it is flattened out the page is about half an inch too long compared to the rest of the book…so this page has been folded since before the page was even cut. It goes along very well with today's blog, since I could try to return it and get a completely perfect Bible - with all of the pages cut properly, but this folded title page doesn't affect the function of the book…I can still read everything, and after all - it's only the title page that is folded! And I doubt I will be referencing that page much…so I am keeping my ill-cut Bible - if you ever want to check out my 'malfunctioning' page someday, just ask.