We, as a society, are observing the loss of stick-to-itiveness. At a point in society in which individuals are totally immersed in a fast-paced and get-what-you-want culture, many are coming to the realization that simplicity is the key to contentment. A wise sage of years gone by once stated that if one have clothing and food one should be content with such as he or she has. Slowing down and simplifying seems to be working for a good number of individuals. For example, there is a social youth movement taking place in which the leader, an older gentleman, is a multi-millionaire that chooses to live in contrast to the lifestyle of his income-bracket peers. He and his followers are not hermits and are not averse to using technology but they minimize the influence of it in their lives. But the ironic thing about this community is that it is comprised of people who discovered it over the internet.
Life, for many has become a series of jumps from one social networking site to the next. A quick perusal through the internet will even show churches totally enrolled and attended through the internet. Some are called Face Book churches. One phenomenon that takes place because of the immersion in social networking is the shift from being forever stationed and content with such as one has to moving to where life ‘seems to make sense.’ One way in which this is played out is in the cyber-church phenomenon. Individuals can attend the church that more fits their style and personal preference online. And in many cases, to the surprise of family members and close friends, individuals will uproot themselves and move across the country to be a part of the reality that they are experiencing over live internet feeds.
This shift was initiated by the business community. The more accessible basic tasks and impromptu meetings become with use of the internet the more interlocking the world becomes. For example, in previous years there was not much interaction between the business woman in Seattle, WA and the publisher in New York City, NY. Now with the internet and social networking sites such as LinkedIn our two hypothetical individuals can “discover” each other, meet up, and conduct business either online or decide to meet in person. This business trend has spilled over into the rest of western culture: as in the case of the cyber or internet church.
How does this affect our personal ethics? This a good question in light of the rapidly advancing pace of society. One staple in personal ethics was the ability to ‘stick-it-out’ with the group of people that you found yourself a part. Most people, prior to the last decade or two, lived within approximately 50 miles of their birth. Information about what went on ‘out there’ was limited and not as accessible. But in the advent of the internet and social media in the 90’s and early 2000’s individuals have discovered more of what is available to them outside of the fifty-mile radius. And in recent years, more people are relocating to where life seems more fitting for them. In eras past, there was value on the long-standing community. But as individuals discover that there are more individuals like themselves outside of the original community they seek out those places and people. This creates the reality of a new form of family and friendship. No longer are groups of people “close knit” based on blood-line and geographical location (except maybe citizens of New York City) but now physical communities are forming around ideologies, belief systems, and common life perspective. This is good and bad in many ways as some groups are formed around principals of justice and others may be formed around the froth of terrorism.
One other area in which this phenomenon of relocation influenced by the internet affects society is within marriage and relationship. Studies show that more victims of divorce and break-ups of long standing relationships are citing certain social networking websites as the source of infidelity of their spouse or partner. In the same way that individuals are discovering and seeking out communities that harbor their ideas and personal convictions so are there individuals that are willing to be reunited with an old boyfriend and develop an online relationship with a person that he or she finds more appealing than his or her spouse. This phenomenon is causing much devastation in mail female relationships. Even the western church, the symbolic bastion of the glories of marriage, has victims of abandonment because someone found “something better.” The problem with that is that there is always someone better. There is always someone with more money, more gusto, power, or whatever it is that the man or woman feels that he or she needs. While finding communities that are beautiful to be a part of is a good thing it can get bad when whole sectors of society are looking for pinnacles of pleasure and abandoning more difficult circumstances. No one grows and individuals have nothing long-lasting and meaningful. Where stick-to-itiveness was a value and a pathway to a better heart, it is now seen as a hindrance to personal fulfillment.
