But seriously, who hasn't fought back the urge to grab someone's cell phone and stomp it into a million pieces and feed it to them like Moses pulverizing golden idols and mixing the dust in water for the people to drink? I have finally entered the world of the smart phone and all of the bizarre, obsessive and sometimes out-right rude behavior of users all makes sense now. There is literally no end to the mindless distractions available at an instant. The great irony in all this is the fact that we call this being 'connected' and we spend considerable time on websites called 'social outlets' yet all of this digital communion has made us more estranged from each other than ever before. When did community come to be solitary confinement in gigabyte prisons? I enjoy keeping up with friends and family as much as the next guy when it comes to using the technology but is there something more sinister at play here?
Anthropology, the study of man through the lens of Darwinian Theology, believes man has been progressing for millions of years. The two great leaps in our evolution has been from rodent to human being and then from human being to social being. This advancement into a social consciousness is said to have come about through certain technological discoveries such as the use of fire, the wheel and the club for courtship. Before a social awareness entered the thick skull of Neanderthal, he wandered about as a lonely nomad, surviving as a hunter and gatherer... or perhaps, even a scavenger. Living day in and day out thinking only about the moment he was in and never considering the needs of others much. No hopes and dreams. No road map to success. No definition of success. Just being... human.
The book of Genesis introduces man and his capabilities in a very different light. As Adam looked about the animal world, he sensed an incompleteness about himself. So God made for him, a comparable help mate. In the beginning, the law of scarcity and the division of labor was with man in the garden. The Creator instructed Adam to take responsibility for the earth. God gave him a moral duty to think, plan, organize, develop and improve upon all that God had blessed him with. At no time, was Adam given the latitude to put off his responsibilities, turn inward and live a life of nomadic hedonism. Adam learned from the very beginning that he could not do everything himself. He was limited by time, resources and ability. He understood the division of labor would bring down production costs. He taught this to Eve and their children. Cain specialized in farming and Abel in husbandry. Cooperation in a free market was the first economy. If man would choose to rule over sin, he would prosper.
Well you know what happened next, God warned Cain to rule over sin but he chose war over cooperation. It is interesting to note that his punishment was to be a vagabond for murdering his brother. Notice Cain was greatly afraid of this lifestyle. Even he recognized the unproductive foolishness of being a wandering nomad, a rugged individual, a cowboy. When I speak of being a nomad, I do not mean the pastoral type of nomadism that was productive and future-oriented and social in thinking. I'm talking about the wandering, present-thinking, selfish, loner, counter-culture kind of nomadism. The kind that anthropologists claim was how man was organized first but then progressed. The truth is, man regressed into nomadic behaviors. The nomadic culture has reared its ugly head time and again down through history and when it does, it leaves nothing of value in its cultural wake and usually plays a violent role in destroying civilizations.
Solomon declares in Proverbs 18:1, "A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment." The nomad rages against his moral responsibility to care for the earth and the people around him. When he does this, it is to his own hurt and to those around him. The Apostle Paul admonishes in Philippians 2:4, "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others." Not only must we be planners and investors in growth and prosperity but we must do so with a mind to bring those around us with us in that growth and desire to share the blessings.
As America has abandoned all sense of community from a moral Biblical perspective, the void has been gradually and subtly filled by Darwinian Theology, a Marxist Progressive definition of community that promises you can be a rugged individual who stands alone and can spend your days in hedonistic consumerism while the State fulfills your God-given responsibilities. Let's face it... without God, it is an easy sell. We are digitally programmed by the explosion of realty tv shows like Survivor, Apprentice, American Idol, Cribs, Jersey Shore and Buck Wild to worship fame, fortune and power. We are selling out our ability to critically think and care about the grim reality we are in. We seem all too happy to turn a blind eye to responsibility and immerse ourselves in fantasy worlds induced by unemployment, fornication, drugs, music, movies, video games, apps, widgets and antisocial social networks.
Regressive Nomadism is sweeping across our cultural landscape. Hold on tight to your thinking faculties and don't let love wax cold in your heart. The high calling of God is hard work and the road less traveled but the reward is far above anything we could experience in this vain life. Never settle for just being... human.
Eric Daniel Brown