Alone

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18).

There is a science-fiction story about a city dweller who goes out for a walk. In this imaginary future, everything has been automated--including the police. As the man walks along, a mechanical officer glides up to him and asks the man his business. The pedestrian explains that he had wanted to get some air; the robot policeman replies "but your home has air conditioning." The man goes on to say that he wanted to see things; the mechanical man responds "but you have a television set." The encounter concludes with the pedestrian being forcibly admitted to a medical facility to be treated for his 'obvious' mental illness.

We are living in a society that isolates us more and more. The people who care for us will only touch us if they are wearing latex gloves. Parents use baby monitors and cell phones to monitor their children without having to actually be close enough to see them. Youth spend hours exploring virtual worlds inside of computer games instead of experiencing the wonders to be found by the lake or along the railroad tracks. Adults shape their opinions on moral behavior by watching situation comedies and television dramas instead of seeking God’s wisdom in church. Many of us experience more direct contact from plastics and metal and circuit boards than we do from other human beings. As a society, we have become more concerned about the condition of the air in our homes than in the condition of the soul living just down the street.

There is no substitute for direct contact with another person. Years ago, Simon and Garfunkel recorded I am a Rock, a song which pointed out that books of poetry cannot take the place of human interaction. Neither can cell phones, Internet chat rooms, computer simulation games or television. I find it fascinating that one of the most successful computer games is The Sims, where the player spends time developing relationships between computerized characters. This tells me that people are hungry for contact with others, but they often don’t know how to go about it.

God knows that we need human contact. That is one reason why He sent His Son to be born of Mary, a flesh and blood human being. Jesus is God cast in a human mold. Jesus is God made touchable. Jesus welcomed children into His arms to be blessed. Jesus touched people tenderly as He cured them of birth defects and disease. The fact that Jesus rose bodily from the dead and greets us in the flesh when we enter heaven teaches us that nothing can replace the importance of face to face contact with others. This is why Christians gather in churches to worship God together.