Five young women stood ahead of me at the overlook. One by one, they turned their backs on the waterfall and held their phones lovingly, as they attempted to capture exactly the right pout on their lips, adding their loveliness to the scene of natural beauty behind them.
Having taken their individual selfies, they crowded together to take group pictures. Having completed these images, they moved on to video themselves.
All this time, I stood patiently, craning my neck to try to see over the young ladies to glimpse the waterfall that lay behind them.
(This sort of thing happened at every single overlook on the way down the trail.)
When I finally approached the overlook, I didn't snap a single selfie. I did take a few photos of the waterfall. Then, I stood, paying attention to my senses, hearing the roar of the water cascading down the rock face, feeling the throb in the board walk I was standing on, and sensing the mighty power of God in it all.
I feel like there is a generation gap here. I simply don't connect with the concept of selfies -- I've never felt like there is any scene that is enhanced by having my smiling mug in front of it.
What concerns me is not that people snap photos of themselves in front of random locations. Folks have done that for longer than there have been cell phones. I am worried that the need capture the perfect selfie robs individuals of the beauty that lies before (or actually behind) them.
Creation was an amazing place before Adam and Eve showed up on the scene. I wonder if, in spite of their lack of smart phones, these two innocents enjoyed the world in a way that modern humans seldom do.
"O taste and see that the Lord is good," the Psalmist wrote. "Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." (Psalm 34:8)
I wonder if he had written that verse today, maybe he would have changed it a little bit.
Perhaps it might go something like this: "Put down your smart phone and use your five senses for just a little while and you will truly perceive how great God is and how wonderful is His Creation."
"Blessed is the man who trusts in Him."
I have wondered if, years down the road, the young people will ever take the time to browse through the millions of images they generate with their cell phones. And I agree: what are they missing out on because of their addiction to social media? I'm kind of glad I'm old and grew up in a different time.
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