The full text of this CES fireside talk is here.
I love this talk. I've read it a couple of times before, and I stumbled upon it again today. Here are a couple of parts that stuck out to me:
"If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, ear buds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience."
"For your happiness and protection, I invite you to study more diligently the doctrine of the plan of salvation—and to prayerfully ponder the truths we have reviewed. I offer two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying:
- Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?
- Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?
"You will receive answers, inspiration, and instruction from the Holy Ghost suited to your individual circumstances and needs. I repeat and affirm the teaching of the Prophet Joseph: 'All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him.'"
I find it frightening that if we use technology improperly Satan can use it to disconnect us from our bodies. It doesn't take much physical activity to click and scroll, and it's easy to get caught up in things and end up browsing mindlessly for long periods of time. That's a method of minimizing the use of our bodies. Since our bodies help us to grow and progress in ways that we could not as spirits without bodies, if Satan can get us to spend hours and hours texting or Facebooking or reading useless things on the Internet, he is using those things to stop us from using our bodies to their full potential, and he is succeeding at keeping us from being anxiously engaged in God's work. I find comfort, however, in the knowledge that because I have a body, Satan has no power over me unless I give it to him.
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