Gone Fishing

I was among a large number of parents who breathed a collective sigh of relief at news of a blanket social media ban for children under 16, and restrictions on some content and features (such as the 'endless scroll') for those under 18 too. There is much written about both the harms and benefits of these platforms, including the impact of constant connectivity; of being 'always on' and instantly available to all through so many different platforms.

 

Most of us will be, at any one time, connected to work, family, friends, interest groups, educational institutions, neighbourhood groups and more... often simultaneously through the same device. This can lead to overwhelm, distractibility, and anxiety in adults, so one can only imagine what it might do to a younger soul. Even Jesus sometimes had to just take off in a boat to avoid the demand of constant connectivity, activity, and relationship, and put up a metaphorical ‘gone fishing’ sign for a few hours so as to recalibrate.

 

I am not very good at fishing at all, but fishing for recreation (as opposed to the pressure of fishing for sustenance), does at least offer one the opportunity to catch one’s breath – even if you don’t actually catch any fish. It is the kind of intentional, even holy, disengagement that our bodies, souls, and brains need to keep them healthy: to stare into the middle distance without anything really to do other than wait for something to eventually tug on the line.

 

In a world where many of us feel constantly behind, and rarely able to catch up with ourselves, examining the additional demands that our own screen time places on us and cultivating a practice of intentional disengagement, may not be such a bad thing for us as Christians to do. Not so that we can do something else worthy with the time, but simply because letting our bodies be still and our minds be bored from time to time, is an art that is good for adult souls, as well as young ones, to rediscover.