A New Experiment

So here we are, in a digital age.

For many of us Catholics, we're not exactly sure how this whole "digital age" thing happened. We feel as if we were going along in our daily lives and suddenly we found ourselves plugged in to Facebook, twitter, e-mail, YouTube, Hulu and a thousand other services. Even though I'm very young (24), I still remember the days before internet, before unlimited and constant connectivity. I only got a cell phone 2 years ago.

And so, like many Catholics and like many people in general, I find that the place of internet in my life is still a new one. The internet, unlike God, family, work, and leisure, still needs to find exactly where it fits in. Is it something purely for entertainment? Information? News? I'm still not sure.

What I do know, though, is that it's literally changed everything. In fact, I'm not sure there's any going back (unless something absolutely catastrophic happens). It appears that this whole internet thing is here to stick around, not just as a small hobby, but as an essential part of people's lives. Indeed, our Holy Father, in his message for the 45th World Communications Day, says as much: "It is an ever more commonly held opinion that, just as the Industrial Revolution in its day brought about a profound transformation in society by the modifications it introduced into the cycles of production and lives of workers, so today the radical changes taking place in communications are guiding significant cultural and social developments...I would like then to invite Christians confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible. This is not simply to satisfy the desire to be present, but because this network is an integral part of human life."

So, this blog will be my attempt to answer the Holy Father's call for digital living. Before this, I've never really been able to maintain a presence online. Sure, I have Facebook and e-mail, but I'm sure several of my friends could tell you I'm terrible at actually responding to things. Further, I don't really share any of myself. Most of my activity is limited to solely posting the occasional article I find interesting. But Benedict says, "To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one's digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preferences, and judgements."

Hopefully, then, this blog will be the beginning of something. Its my mission to share with you, the mysterious and unknown digital reader, more than just philosophical thoughts. Hopefully, we can find wisdom and truth through the communication this tool affords.

That's what this is. A new experiment.