Use your imagination

My wife and I picked up our new washing machine at Sears on Saturday. When I took it out of the box this morning, both of us had a simultaneous flashback to our childhood. We could remember when our families would get new major appliances--and then we kids could use the box as a castle, or a fort, or a play house. In other words, we got hours of pleasure out of something like a cardboard box. Nowadays, evidence suggests that between television, the internet, cell phones, and video games, children are seldom challenged to use their imagination for play. My wife and I remember that when we were children, the only time that cartoons was on was Saturday morning. Today, children have lots of options--Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney, and so on--to choose from, each and every day of the week. But, as anyone who has seen a favorite book turned into a cinematic production can tell you, it is usually disappointing, and the film rarely does the book justice. Reading, as much as imaginative play, is stimulating, provoking the imagination and firing mental synapses.

Last week and this week in chapel we welcome C.J. Hitz as our guest speaker. He has challenged us to consider our use of media, both as a consumer of our time and as a minefield of non-edifying images and themes. I'd like to supplement his presentation with the assignment to read some of the following links. I have intentionally shied away from those with an overtly spiritual message, not because I do not consider them valuable, but so that we might we aware of serious medical and scientific concerns, and consider them in light of the spiritual concerns that are being addressed by our speaker.

The report, Parents, Children & Media: A Kaiser Family Foundation Survey, is a national survey of 1,008 parents of children ages 2-17, along with a series of six focus groups held with parents across the country. The survey explores such issues as media content, media ratings and the V-Chip, media monitoring, educational media, advertising, and the Internet.

What do I need to know about children and TV? A comprehensive and well-documented guide from the University of Michigan Health System.

Video Game Overuse May Be an Addiction: Experts gathered at the American Medical Association conference to consider adding video gaming to its list of pathological addictions such as gambling.

YOUNG AND WIRED
Computers, cell phones, video games, blogs, text messages -- how will the sheer amount of time spent plugged in affect our kids?

Let's make this a profitable discussion and dialogue this week--and hear with interest what Mr. Hitz has to share with us.