Think?

In his Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, Karl Marx called religion the "opium of the people". However in our age of technology, there seems to be a new 'drug' of choice. TheOoze.com has an article by Johann Christoph Arnold titled Opium of the People? which points out the current abuse of technology:

Today the Internet is the drug that cures all ills. But we forget too quickly the old saying that "not everything that glitters is gold." The Internet has become our god, our idol, which we now worship instead of God. Yet we have never been lonelier or more isolated from other human beings.

While one of my professors refers to television as the opiate of the masses, I think that for our generation, the Internet is more deserving of that title. While this powerful tool has to capability to effect much good, it is terrifying to see how destructive it can be. Besides stealing our most precious commodity, time, there are numerous other negative consequences when the Internet is abused. As Arnold pointed out, our generation is filled with lonley souls starving to death in their dungeons of isolation. We are isolated not only from others, but also from ourselves.
You know exactly what I am talking about. After a long, busy day of school or work you just want to relax for a few minutes. You stretch out in front of your computer and just start to browse the Internet. You might chat with some buddies for a while or listen to your favorite iTunes, maybe you just look for an interesting web site. A few hours later you look at the clock, surprised to see how much time has passed. You sit there in disappointment, wishing you had done something worthwhile with your day.
Is that where it ends? Do you stop there, or do you allow you mind to wander a little farther? Has your mind been so dulled by this "opium" that you never think past that point of frustration? Or maybe like me, you silence that voice. All that now remains is the faint whisper, barely audible but still asking those piercing questions. "What are you doing with your life? How much time will you fritter away? What about your relationships? Why not spend some time with your friends, or maybe even your family? When is the last time you spent some time alone, you know, just you and God? You wonder why you haven't heard his voice, maybe you haven't really even listened."
"STOP!!! No, don't give me that crap!", your mind is made up. You'll never face those questions. You'll just continue to ignore them, those irritating questions that bug you whenever you stop and think...think, hmm that is an interesting idea. What if you think? Not too long or too hard at first, just a little thinking. Eventually you can think for longer and about harder questions. But for now, just work on stopping and thinking. You can do it anytime, anywhere. Some people call it daydreaming, others like the term "using your imagination". I like both, it really does seem like the same thing when you think about it...think about it....hmmm, now that's an idea!