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INTENTION : |
That those suffering from addiction may be helped and accompanied.
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Pope urges students to fight their addiction to phones
Pope Francis told high school students to break their phone addiction and spend more time on real communication with others and in moments of quiet, personal reflection.
Young people need to learn about "healthy introspection" so they can listen to their conscience and be able to distinguish it "from the voices of selfishness and hedonism," he said.
The Pope made his remarks April 13 2019 during an audience with teachers, students and their family members from Rome's oldest classical lyceum - the Ennio Quirino Visconti Lyceum-Gymnasium. Some notable alumni include Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII, and Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci.
The Pope told the high school students to "please, free yourselves from your phone addiction!"
Looking up at his audience as they applauded, the Pope said he knew they were aware of the many forms and problems of addiction. But, he warned, an addiction to one's mobile phone was something "very subtle."
"Mobile phones are a great help, and it marks great progress. It should be used, and it is wonderful everyone knows how to use it" for the "wonderful" activity of communication, he said.
"But when you become a slave to your phone, you lose your freedom," he said.
"Be careful because there is a danger that this drug - when the phone is a drug - reduces communication to simple 'contacts'" and not true communication with others, he said to more applause.
He told them not to be afraid of silence and to learn to listen to or write down what is going on inside their heart and head.
"It is more than a science, and it is wisdom, not to become a piece of paper" that moves in whatever direction the wind blows, he said.
The Pope also told the teenagers that God gave everyone the ability to love. "Don't dirty it" with shameful behavior, but rather, love "cleanly" with modesty, fidelity, respect and a big generous heart.
"Love is not a game. Love is the most beautiful thing God gave us," he told them, so be vigilant, protect people's dignity and defend "authentic love, so as not to trivialize the language of the body."
He asked them to help their school remain free from all forms of bullying and aggression, which are "the seeds of war."
And he encouraged them to reject mediocrity and indifference, and instead, "dream big," living with passion and embracing diversity.
"Dialogue among different cultures, different people, enriches a nation, enriches one's homeland," he said. It helps people move forward in mutual respect and be able to see the world is "for everyone, not just for some."
Expert warns of social media addiction
Social media is addictive because of the human need for affirmation. "It's that need for instant gratification - that 'Oh, you look lovely', 'Look at your holiday', 'Oh don't you have a wonderful life'," Naomh McElhatton told Today with Sean O'Rourke of RTE.
Constantly checking your phone and various social media accounts lead to a "blurring of lines" between what is real life, and what is not, she said, recounting the story of a girl who pretended she travelled around the world, posting pictures of herself on Instagram.
"She plotted and planned it from her bedroom as a bit of research" to illustrate fake news. "I think that's where the problem lies, that people are deluded now, and there is this massive wave of narcissism - the selfie, the good look, always the filters and I think that's where the health consequences are starting to show, with the mental health issues."
While social media channels are a great way to grow businesses, Ms McElhatton said, they put enormous pressures on people. "People have this fantasy land where the online world is much more glamorous." Millennials like herself are under pressure to have the perfect life, body, holiday, car, family, and look. "I think that when they wake up and find out that the reality is very different from the online world - that's when people are going to feel crap."
Social media was also a significant contributor to marriage breakup, she said. "I was speaking to a friend of mine, a solicitor and she says the number one reason for separation and divorce is that people meet other people on social media and that's the reality of it. We fall in love with old flames or we connect with somebody who's much more attractive across the online world than our partners in the real world."
Advising parents to lead their children by example, she said parents could be the the biggest culprits. "So Mummy is on the phone, kiddie will be on the phone. But the problem about the kids getting up at 2.00 a.m. in the night to check their phone is that of course then they go to bed buzzing and can't get to sleep. They wake up the next day completely exhausted. They are going to school wrecked. They are not concentrating. They are probably not performing as best they can at school. And so their confidence is knocked. It's a whole cycle."
Figures from the website show 80 per cent of smartphone users say checking their phone is the first thing they do in the morning. It has also been revealed that the average user logs 2.15 hours a day on social media
A Prayer to Break Free From Addiction:
God of healing, we are once again reminded of the fragility of the human person. Bless those who struggle with addiction and grant wisdom and fortitude to those who love them.
Grant to each of us the humility to allow your strength to make up for our weaknesses, and bless us all with loving companions who can bolster us in times of need. We ask this in your most holy name. Amen.
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