In a Church Educational System fireside given in 2009, Elder David A. Bednar expressed a serious concern about a growing modern problem, one that probably never existed before the advent of high tech media or any of the other unprecedented forms of private personal communication. He issued a strong warning that the miss use of video gaming and various types of electronic communication may be minimizing the importance of our bodies. He issued a powerful warning that the adversary delights in causing people to disconnect from things as they really are and instead to become so fixated on all the digital means of communication that they give up the reward of person to person communication. When we fall victim to that temptation and become addicted to the Internet and other types of digital media, we become almost as we were in a premortal, unembodied state, and we surrender the full experience of having a body.
This prophetic counsel is so needed today. People of all ages often innocently engaging in computer-directed relationships that basically ignore or even deliberately alter their true identity. Virtual reality is replacing true reality. The result is a form of identity theft that may seem innocuous at first but could result in tragic consequences. If our experiences in the body are so crucial to our progress, what happens when we minimize these opportunities? Elder Bednar posed some insightful questions to protect us. We need to ask ourselves whether our use of the internet and various technologies impedes or invites the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and whether the time we spend on technology and media impacts our ability to love and serve others (see “Things as They Really Are” Brigham Young University 2009-2010 Devotional and Fireside Speeches, May 2009. 9).
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