During the last three weeks we have been looking at how technology impacts our most precious relationships. In recent years, cells phones have begun to occupy greater and greater prominence in our lives. While it certainly puts the world at our fingertips, it also has contributed to incredible strain on our most significant relationships. We examined the resulting distance, isolation, and loneliness that so often occurs.
While technology has enhanced our lives in so many ways, we certainly do not want it to do so at the expense of our marriages. So today I want to simply offer some healthy ways to approach this conundrum. And I would suggest that discovering functional rules of engagement is not difficult – it is accepting and implementing them that is.
Rules of Engagement
- Discuss with your mate your desires and expectations around technology use by you and your partner.
- Discuss your desires with regard to use in the car?
- Discuss what, if any, places in the home are off-limits to electronic devices?
- Discuss the level of privacy or transparency you desire when it comes to texting, email, and Facebook accounts.
- Be intentional about eliminating the “fractured consciousness” mentality in your relationship. In others words, have regular times where technology is not even visible.
- Set aside times of day, as well as days, and perhaps even certain weekends – when technology is absolutely offline.
I know that some of these recommendations may seem extreme in our “virtual world” driven culture. But they are not, if we are committed to making our significant relationship – well – significant. I would love to hear about the steps that you take.