In a homily of Pope Benedict to the Carthusian monks he said something that applies to us in the secular world:
The Pope said: “Technological progress has made man’s life more comfortable but also “more agitated, even convulsive”. The growth of the communications media means that today we run the risk of virtual reality dominating reality itself. “People are increasingly, even unwittingly, immersed in a virtual dimension, thanks to the audiovisual images that accompany their lives from morning to evening. The youngest, having been born in this state, seem to fill each vacant moment with music and images, almost as if afraid to contemplate the void. … Some people are no longer capable of remaining silent and alone”.
He previously had said:
…..the situation of modern society and culture “throws light on the specific charism of the Carthusian monastery as a precious gift for the Church and for the world, a gift which contains a profound message for our lives and for all humanity. I would summarise it in these terms: by withdrawing in silence and solitude man, so to speak, ‘exposes’ himself to the truth of his nakedness, he exposes himself to that apparent ‘void’ I mentioned earlier. But in doing so he experiences fullness, the presence of God, of the most real Reality that exists. … Monks, by leaving everything, … expose themselves to solitude and silence so as to live only from what is essential; and precisely in living from the essential they discover a profound communion with their brothers and sisters, with all mankind”.
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