DANGER: Without Knowing It, You May Suffer From Abuse of This Readily Available Substance

You may be one of millions in Western culture heavily addicted to a substance that is being made available at an ever-increasing speed. This addiction often times goes unnoticed by not only you, but also by everyone around you. If you were hooked on alcohol or drugs, everyone might recognize it. If porn's your problem, you may be the only one to know. But with an addiction to INFORMATION, you and everyone else may see you partaking without anyone, including yourself, ever knowing there is even a problem!

That's right, "information" is the latest craze. Not only is it sold on every street corner (newspaper racks, magazine stands), but our social, economic, political and even spiritual frameworks are now intrinsically tied to the exchange of information. Even more scary is the fact that as the demand increases, the supply also exponentially grows. John L. King, dean of Michigan's School of Information, estimates that electronic information doubles every 60 minutes! This means, for example, every bit of information you could find on the internet would double in the next hour.

Somehow we feel the need to keep up with all this information being created and processed. We've been bred to behave like this. Ever watch CNN and notice how many different messages are being thrown at your senses simultaneously? The screen has two or three headlines scrolling and flashing. The time, date, weather, logos etc. are stamped in the corners. All the while the reporter is squawking in your ears. The same is true of your favorite websites. There are headlines, advertisements, calendars, logos littering every pixel of your browser.

The goofiest part of the matter is that we are addicted to this stuff. We have been sucked right into it! Why do news corporations keep firing information our way? Cause we can't get enough. We crave it. We have to have it. I know I certainly do, or I think I certainly do. My web browser is full of tools to help me keep on top of every bit of information I feel is necessary to my survival. My bookmarks, favorites menu, RSS reader -- these are the electronic equivalent of a bong, constantly serving up my drug of choice: Information.

And mainstream information is only the beginning. Personal information passed between friends, family and co-workers also becomes addictive. I have to check up on my friends' blogs because God forbid if I don't read the poem they just wrote telling me how they've been feeling over the last hour (thanks for checking on me...right now I'm feeling like I could use some coffee). I'm always looking at my e-mail cause I can't wait another five minutes to see if anyone forwarded me a junker full of old blonde jokes. If there's not one there when I check, then I'll just have to check after another five minutes. Actually, I had better make it four minutes.

Do you have an addiction to information? You might if you answer yes to any of the following questions:

1. If your computer checks your e-mail automatically, is it more frequent then every 10 minutes?
2. How many separate news websites to you check during the same sitting?
3. Do you go crazy if you don't read the newspaper before you leave for work?
4. If you are having dinner with your family and your cell phone rings, do you answer it?
5. Do you listen to talk radio at work, when driving, and while preparing dinner?
6. If you are busy reading your RSS feeds and your spouse asks you a question, are you angry or snippy towards him/her for interrupting?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be a glutton of information. This is really nothing new. In Solomon's book of Ecclesiastes, he tells us nothing under the sun is new. While we may think this problem is isolated to the current Information Age, it isn't. It has only expanded to new forms and continues to do so. What these new forms are cloaking is the ancient art of gossiping. Gossiping is simply the feeling that we must have information. It used to be more relegated to those we were in direct contact with, but now we have allowed gossip to be required when scavenging for information about the latest celebrity pregnancy or teen pop idol's breast enhancements. Who cares?! It's not going to change the world directly around me. It's not going to threaten my survival. I'm not going to lose all I have by opting to disregard one phone call during a coffee break with some friends.

Interestingly enough, the coffee shops around my neighborhood have begun to wage war against his addiction. Instead of forming support groups, they are attempting to help cut off supply lines. Many of the coffee shops don't allow you to talk on your cell phone while inside. Additionally, many have cut off access to their wireless internet connection on the weekends to help foster the conversations taking place around the tables. However, they still seem to be willing to enable those of us with caffeine addictions. Hmmmm....

While we each have various things warring for our undivided attention, let us resolve to be addicted only to information which brings us to know Jesus and people more, and only in such a way that we are spurred on to act in love towards them. We must carefully give them our attention when in conversation, but never for the purpose of mere information retrieval. Rather, our exchange of information should be characterized by loyalty, unselfishness, kindness and self-control.

So now that you've just read all this information, send me some love! :-)