Mom regularly played her Simon & Garfunkle cassette tapes throughout my childhood. So I’m a fan of their hit “The Sound of Silence.” I especially like the more recent rendition by rock band Disturbed. (Have a listen if you don’t mind a bit of metal.)

Naturally I watched the Maccabeats’ a Capella rendition when it appeared in my Facebook feed. They released their version on YouTube last week. Their vocals are nice — but what really got me was the accompanying music video by Jew in the City, an organization that challenges society’s “negative perception of Orthodox Jews and Judaism.”

First, a review of the song’s more poignant lyrics:

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

…

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence

To what neon gods are the people bowing and praying in Jew in the City’s video?

Their cell phones.

The song’s original meaning has never been firmly nailed down. But singer Art Garfunkle suggested it was about “the inability of people to communicate with each other.” In today’s world dominated by 6-inch screens, Jew in the City’s video interpretation is timely and fitting.

National Selfie Day

Wednesday morning when I hopped on Twitter, I noticed the top trending hashtag was #NationalSelfieDay. I know, the “national day” thing is just for fun. (Go ahead and send that Snapchat — I know you’re only reading this with one eye anyway.) But it got me thinking about our toxic addiction to technology. Just in case you need to be reminded, here are some startling facts:

• The average person checks their phone every four to six minutes, or 150 times a day.
• 46 percent of people in relationships report being “phubbed” — snubbed while their significant other looks at their phone instead.
• Phones and social media are causing married couples to have less sex.
• Most American kids receive a phone by age 7.
• 70 percent of kids 12 and under use tablets, and 40 percent of 2-to-4 year olds regularly interact with screens.
• Too much screen time for children hinders brain development.
• Addiction to Facebook causes feelings of depression.
• Looking at a screen before bed can harm your sleep quality.

It’s not that the internet or smart phones are bad — they’re revolutionary. They help us connect with more people, including those we love. A few generations ago, a friend who lived in another state would be a friend we rarely see or talk to. Today, that friend is someone we can call, text, or video chat at any moment. 

But when we check our phones 150 times each day, are we actually connecting with that friend? Or are we scrolling through the trivial status updates of people we haven’t spoken to in years, or have never even met? I’ll wager it’s the latter. Even worse, I’ll wager that real beauty, real tasks, real people surround us every four to six minutes when we check our phones. And they deserve our attention far more than someone’s angry Twitter tirade.

Perhaps this #NationalSelfieDay, a bit of self-examination is warranted to see how many of the above traps we fall into.

Be All There

One of my favorite quotes comes from missionary Jim Elliot: “Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

It’s always been an inspiring reminder for me to “give it all I’ve got.” But I can’t do that when I’m chained to a device. I can’t fully focus when I’m addicted to tiny numbers on a notification bell. I can’t truly be there when I’m obsessed with staging the perfect Instagram selfie.

It’s not that we don’t know about the dangers of phone and social media addiction. We do. As the above points prove, scientists have researched just about every aspect of this cultural habit. But we need to remind ourselves just how much our addictions cost us. And we need to remind ourselves often.

After all, the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls, and whispered in the sounds of silence.

But we continue to hear without listening.