The Journey 281

Read: Genesis 1: 26-31

Going to ATM is a normal routine for most of us. But last week was horrifying experience for many people in this country as they to their bank ATM counters. They realized that they could not withdraw money or do transactions online. Soon panic struck when the news came out that cyber attackers had jammed almost six banks in the US. News agencies reports that banks that got affected were Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and PNC. A group from middle east has claimed responsibility for the attack but the motive for the attack is still not known. Radio Station started issuing alerts about this and asked people to act with caution with regards to the sensitive data about ones bank account, credit cards and so on. According to law agencies, cyber crime and cyber attack is what is going to literally bring a new type of war on humanity. When cyber crime or hacking happens there is panic since every aspect of ones life is controlled online and through the net and somehow we are now more and more dependent on the internet, digital apps and other technology. Whether it is paying ones electric or water bill or recharging ones talk time on phone, or booking your flight and your train tickets, majority of people prefer to do it online. Earlier in the day shopping was all about going to shops, but now shopping is virtual and you don't need to go to the shop to buy, think of the things that you want to buy, you will get those things online. But with people going online, and depending more and more on digital apps what is now not being used or minimally used is God given wisdom and brains. Applications like multiplication, additions and subtraction were all in the brain, but today you ask a youngster to do an addition of two numerical numbers they might need a calculator. That is why the researchers and scientist say that along with the precautions that one needs to take, to keep ones sensitive information regarding personal documents secure, one should also try to exercise ones brain power so that information's are not just stored in digital apps but also in ones brain. I think that is one suggestion that helps us to focus and also to build our life not just depending on technological and digital apps of this century but also on God given potentials and capabilities that God has given to us for our growth and to make our life truly enriching.

We are meditating on the theme “Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Genesis 1: 26-31. This portion in Genesis depicts the nature of God’s creation and also the divine purpose in creating both human being and nature. In V; 26 we find one of most profound truth about creation and that is human being created by God in His Image. Creating in God’s image endows each one of us with that unique creativity and potential that God has in His nature and which He bestows on us. It is this creativity and potential that human kind has misused today. When we talk of cyber crime and hacking, we are talking of those people who have used God given potential and creativity not to enrich lives of others but make life of others more miserable. Today news have come that 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine has been awarded to Sir John B Gurdon and Shinya Yamanak for their work that revolutionized the understanding of how cells and organism develop. These scientist through their hard work and creativity are creating new opportunities of treatment, diagnosis and therapy for many malignant diseases. Here are two individual who are using God’ given potential and creativity for the welfare of human kind. This is what is the need of the hour. Secondly in verse 26 and 28, God say to human beings to subdue the earth. Many have used the word “subdue” as a tool for exploitation of natural resources of this world, but I feel what God is asking us to do is to see to it that all technological advancements or the latest discoveries that human being make, needs to be controlled by human beings rather than technology controlling human beings. What is happening in most of our life is that it is the digital apps that control us and decides how our life should be directed each day. But what is needed today is that we need to be more wise and prudent so that we use digital app only when it is deemed necessary and take conscious effort to develop the creativity and potential more on ones personal level and thus helping us in the process also to make our life little simple, thus becoming less prone to cyber attacks and jamming.

Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla

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