We’re Creating Apathetic
Robots
By Allan J. Katz, M.S. CRC
The Orthodox Jewish world continues to seesaw back and forth about
the pros and cons of the Gathering on Technology at Citified in New
York, shown in communities around the world. Debates abound about the
best filters, blocks and technological band aids which will surely
repair the dangerous environmental influences of the outside world.
Let’s ban or block the Internet and suddenly our children will be
less distracted, our communities more friendly and our learning and
praying more for the sake of Heaven instead of rote blabbering to get
it over with.
In 1944, Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler said in Strive for Truth (v.3, p.143)
“Human beings believe, in their arrogance that if they
continue developing the world on the basis of ever expanding technology
they will eventually achieve an environment that will afford everyone
unlimited gratification of the senses and a life of ease and pleasure.
So long as people remain "takers,” their efforts will inevitably
be directed toward selfishness...”
With the advance of technology and the ease of availability, the
temptation of distraction has become a daily struggle for Jews across
the spectrum to remain upright even in their own homes. But the
Internet is only part of the problem. Go into almost any synagogue
today and you’ll find congregants reading their emails on their
cellphones and leaving praying to answer their phones, with their Talis
over their heads and Tefillin perfectly squared. Attend any Torah
lecture, graduation ceremony, wedding or bar mitzvah and you’ll
find people texting instead of being present. The real problem is
chutzpah and selfishness and parents are teaching it to their children
by their own actions, then wondering… what went wrong!!!
Rabbi Bachya says in Duties of the Heart: "Their evil
inclination induces them to abandon the spiritual world wherein lies
their salvation… it makes self-adornment more attractive to
them… it impels them to gratify their desires for
self-indulgence… until they are sunk in the depths of its
seas."
In the rush to satisfy our thirst for instant gratification,
information and acceptance, we’ve created a Jewish society devoid
of cohesiveness and spirituality, full of chutzpah and apathy. As Rabbi
Dessler said 68 years ago, “They persist in thinking that
soon, very soon, they will hit the right formula, and if not in this
generation, then in the next, universal happiness will come. And so
they bring up their children to study nothing and think of nothing but
technological advancement…” (Strive for Truth, v.3,
pg. 152).
It seems as if children and adults 68 years ago were also steeped in
the excesses of technology, though it is not as insidious as today.
Unfortunately, Jews today are becoming apathetic robots. In their quest
to look very religious with their starched white shirts and impeccable
back hats; in keeping up with the Schwartz’s, they have truly
collapsed into a materialistic society, all for the sake of Heaven.
Consider the case of Yaakov who goes to the store to buy a pair of
expensive shoes on sale at a national chain department store, known for
its lenient return policy. There he meets his friend Shimon who has
just bought the exact pair of shoes that Yaakov wants. Shimon relates
to Yaakov that he “purchased” the $300 pair of shoes for
only $200 by switching the price tag while no one was looking and
Yaakov can have them for $250, thereby saving $50 and Shimon will make
some money on the deal. Shimon is very proud of himself and Yaakov gets
a great deal. Where I come from this is called stealing.
Or consider the practice of Reuven going to an outlet store to buy
fancy white shirts for Shabbos, to sit and learn in one of
America’s finest Yeshivos, where he wouldn’t dare stand out
wearing a blue shirt. Lo and behold, Reuven ends up at the local
Nordstrom return counter telling the clerk the shirt is imperfect and
he wants to exchange the shirt or get a refund.
Why would religious people, steeped in Torah learning, resort to
lying and stealing?
The Orchos Tzaddikim in Sh'ar Hasheker says, “Alchemists
turn copper into gold where even the experts cannot tell the
difference. So it is with the mind of the charlatan. He rationalizes
and justifies his lies until they appear even to him as
truth.” Alan Morinis in Every Day, Holy Day says,
“What could possibly cause you to vary from the truth? Probe
your motivations and you will encounter some other trait like envy or
laziness - seeking its own satisfaction. You deviate from the truth
when some inner trait wants to bend reality to its own purpose"
(p. 344).
As you see, envy fueled by chutzpah and engineered by
selfish materialism causes people to steal and lie, all for the sake of
Heaven; so they can join the “in-crowd” and look like
everyone else with fancy shoes, exquisite hats and starchy, imperfect
white shirts.
Not surprisingly, the men and women that Rachel Shteir, author of
“The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting, spoke to also
talked differently about shoplifting. The men sounded as if they saw
themselves as heroes in video games; one described the excitement of
racing through the aisles of Target, outwitting the sales staff,
security people and cameras. People want to self-enhance and feel good
about themselves. People want to be seen in a respectable light by
their friends. When this can be accomplished without deception, people
are usually honest.
Yes, the Internet and hand held technology are to blame for
seriously deteriorating the holiness of Jewish society forever,
destroying relationships and distracting us from what is truly our
purpose in life, to serve G-d by doing HIS mitzvot. Even secular
psychologists, who once were technology advocates, are now decrying the
lack of one-to-one communication and the compulsion to check our hand
held devices in spite of danger, social awkwardness and rudeness.
Fortunately there are more mitzvot besides guarding your eyes. Number
eight is “thou shall not steal” and number nine is
“thou shall not lie.”
What is the answer? Another type of filter. We cannot expect people
to live in caves and never have access to the outside world. Our
computers need filters desperately but what’s next, putting
filters on women’s heads so men will no longer be tempted to look
in the street? No.
The answer is to filter our own minds and heads by becoming role
models for our children in synagogue, at home and in business. By
dressing properly ourselves, by understanding that being holy is about
respecting ourselves enough to feel good about our own personal
strengths, instead of looking outside ourselves for validation, the
latest styles, gossip and news.
The answer is bringing up our children to understand that they have
a G-d given soul and direct them to understand their strengths instead
of teaching them what they do will lead them straight into hell. To
teach our children from a very young age about G-d, faith, trust and
the privilege of being G-d’s chosen people, not a nation that has
to rely on the whims, customs and fads of others to feel good about
ourselves. This is truly the test of our generation but we’re too
busy churning out apathetic robots who could care less.
Allan Katz, M.S. has a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling,
working toward licensure and his certification as a Certified Sex
Addiction Therapist with the International Institute of Trauma and
Addiction Professionals. He is the author of Mask in the Mirror, a
motivational book for healing from sexual compulsivity.
(http://allanjkatz.com). For the past 4 years he has been the moderator
of the U.S. hotline for religious Jews suffering from sexual
compulsivity and Internet addiction as well as a phone group leader
with Guard Your Eyes.com. He delivers lectures and workshops nationwide
to schools, synagogues and organizations who want to spread awareness
and protect their members from this epidemic which is destroying the
moral fabric of our people. He can be reached at ajk@allanjkatz.com or
at 901-359-8299.
~~~~~~~
from the August 2012 Edition of the
Jewish Magazine
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