The Innovation of Loneliness from Shimi Cohen on Vimeo.
Yes, I posted The Innovation of Loneliness in Reclaiming Conversations (9/12/2013) when considering some of the work of Sherry Turkle and offering Transformative Conversations as a resource. But the recent attention given to Saving the Lost Art of Conversation: In a fast-paced digital age, an MIT psychologist tries to slow us down (Megan Garber. The Atlantic. 12/22/2013), an extensive amount of time on-line in the midst of the holidays[1], a lengthy conversation with one of my teenage daughters about the influence of technology, and the encounter of meeting John Hundley (ESN blogger) in person when at InterVarsity Staff Conference 2014[2] leads me to once again offer this piece for your reflection as we (individually and as a network) prayerfully seek direction in the new year. More in the notes and in future posts, but feel free to get things moving by sharing comments below. . . .
Notes
- Including the launch of the updated website for InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries. If you have not done such, please come and visit 🙂 ↩
- When we connected at the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) booth, John pointed out how amazing it was to meet in person. For several days I pondered the difference between starting/developing a friendship over Skype, phone, FB Messenger, email, blogging, etc. versus meeting in person and continuing a friendship over various forms of communications technology/social media. As you may guess this pushed me to give a significant amount of time, energy, and attention to truly getting to know some on-line ESN friends (including lots of new ones) while at the conference AND taking next steps in the development of “ESN hubs” on campuses (and in communities). Yes, more on that coming 🙂 If you have the interest in learning more and/or becoming involved, please email me. Thank-you. ↩
Updated: 1/13/2014, 6:36 PM.
About the author:
Tom enjoys daily conversations regarding living out the Biblical Story with his wife Theresa and their four girls, around the block, at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (where he teaches adult electives and co-leads a small group), among healthcare professionals as the Northeast Regional Director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), and in higher ed as a volunteer with the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). For a number of years, the Christian Medical Society / CMDA at Penn State College of Medicine was the hub of his ministry with CMDA. Note: Tom served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA for 20+ years, including 6+ years as the Associate Director of ESN. He has written for the ESN blog from its launch in August 2008. He has studied Biology (B.S.), Higher Education (M.A.), Spiritual Direction (Certificate), Spiritual Formation (M.A.R.), Ministry to Emerging Generations (D.Min.). To God be the glory!
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