The Top 40

It's always been a problem of humans, as Thomas Traherne described in the 17th century:

News
by Thomas Traherne. 1637?–1674

NEWS from a foreign country came
As if my treasure and my wealth lay there;
...So much it did my heart inflame,
'Twas wont to call my Soul into mine ear;
......Which thither went to meet
.........The approaching sweet,
......And on the threshold stood
...To entertain the unknown Good.
.........It hover'd there
......As if 'twould leave mine ear,
... And was so eager to embrace
...... The joyful tidings as they came,
... 'Twould almost leave its dwelling-place
.........To entertain that same.

...As if the tidings were the things,
My very joys themselves, my foreign treasure—
... Or else did bear them on their wings—
With so much joy they came, with so much pleasure.
......My Soul stood at that gate
.........To recreate
...... Itself with bliss, and to
...Be pleased with speed. A fuller view
......... It fain would take,
......Yet journeys back would make
... Unto my heart; as if 'twould fain
...Go out to meet, yet stay within
... To fit a place to entertain
......And bring the tidings in.

... What sacred instinct did inspire
My soul in childhood with a hope so strong?
...What secret force moved my desire
To expect my joys beyond the seas, so young?
...... Felicity I knew
......... Was out of view,
......And being here alone,
... I saw that happiness was gone
.........From me! For this
...... I thirsted absent bliss,
... And thought that sure beyond the seas,
......Or else in something near at hand—
... I knew not yet—since naught did please
...... I knew—my Bliss did stand.

...But little did the infant dream
That all the treasures of the world were by:
...And that himself was so the cream
And crown of all which round about did lie.
......Yet thus it was: the Gem,
.........The Diadem,
......The ring enclosing all
...That stood upon this earthly ball,
.........The Heavenly eye,
......Much wider than the sky,
...Wherein they all included were,
...The glorious Soul, that was the King
...Made to possess them, did appear
......A small and little thing!

Interestingly, a short note of dismay found its way to my ears, and since I am practicing a newfound obedience, I deleted my FB and Twitter accounts this morning before I went to work.

"Set a watch, O Lord, at the door of my mouth; a sentinel at the gate of my lips."

As I stood at the window, staring out at the forest in the distance, of the waiting room for about 45 mins getting tires rotated/balanced, a young woman of about 20 was imprisoned by her phone the entire time, with ear buds installed. She never looked away from it.

Situational awareness was devoid.

Mine was in a pocket, turned off.

I own it, hers owns her.

Don't own one, won't own one. Life is fine without it.

One of my daughters gave me a castoff that's piggy-backed on her account. 1-Send dials 911. 2-Send dials her cell phone. That's all I know about it. I have to remember to charge it up every week or so.

If you ever need to call family with some other phone, please make sure you actually remember their entire phone number. Make yourself dial it instead of speed-dialing it.

I went back to FB for today b/c it's my son's birthday. Probably I'll turn it off and set a time to turn it on in some sort of schedule. But Twitter is dead to me and I am truly free!