Tweeting (and Old Men)

When Bishop Burton talked about “tweeting” in Tuesday’s campus devotional, I was only mildly surprised as the girl sitting next to me confessed she didn't know what Twitter was. It’s impressive, especially for how old they are, that the leaders of the Church are so in-touch with the latest technology. Texting and blogging are regularly mentioned in General Conference, even from the older members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or First Presidency. I find this especially fascinating when my own father—a computer science professor—occasionally demonstrates ignorance to such developments. On the other hand, the horrible encounters I frequently had with the Church's email on my mission make me question the reality of its progression. I especially get a kick out of Church leaders like Brother VanDenBerghe who enthusiastically support electronic greeting cards as “a quick and easy way to let [a sick friend] know [they are] concerned.” Now that I think about it, isn't it somewhat ironic that Bishop Burton decided the best format for the tweets from his latest General Conference talk was in twenty-five pages of printed text?

"Am I Addicted?"

Sometimes I wonder if I have an addiction. In reference to this self-proclaimed obsession, I told myself a few months ago, “If I can find a girl with whom I enjoy spending more time than I do with [my addiction], I’ll get married to her quick.” Dr. K’s Ensign article gives several factors for identifying an addictive tendency, and quite a few of them fit. I do “play” compulsively, often for longer periods than I had planned. Frequently, I “have difficulty stopping,” and even when I am not “playing,” I find myself “[obsessing] about the game, plotting and planning [my] next opportunity to play.” Occasionally, my schoolwork suffers because of the time and energy I spend with this activity, and my sleep patterns have changed since I “became involved.” Perhaps I should seek help or counseling, but I don’t think my research mentor would approve—after all, the more time I spend on this “addiction,” the closer we’ll get to another publication.

Although perhaps this “addiction” is worse than I pretend...