Its been a half a year since we stood together at Citified on May 20th and waged a war on the Internet and Technology. Many left the stadium inspired and took action. Some got rid of the Internet from their homes, others smashed their smart phones, filters were installed on many computers. An awareness was made that we must take action and confront the dangers of modern technology, especially the Internet and devices which are capable of connecting to the web.
Looking back over the past 6 months many questions remain as far as are we moving forward? did we reach out to people in getting the message or did we alienate many with the wrong approach? Do we stay with the message that the Internet is here to stay or keep saying it should be banned outright? Did we reach out to those that are impacted the most or did we just preach to the choir.? did we do the correct follow up.
Great strides were made in regard to awareness with smart phones as many are embarrassed to be seen publicly with a smart phone if they have no need for one. I'm not talking about someone who needs it for his business but someone who has no real need for a iPhone. Filters on computers is still a issue as many who want to install it yet keep having problems as it interferes with their business.
All in all, between the Internet Asifa followed by the 12th Siyum hashas at Metlife three months later, was definitely two events which inspired and gave chizuk to hundreds of thousands of yidden. Bringing us closer to hashem and feeling an Achdus by bringing yidden together making a kiddush hashem.
As one who attendwed both I was more impacted by the Siyum hashas.
ReplyDeleteYes, as Rav Salomon so eloguently put it, The Asifa at Citifield was Sur Mera, The Siyum HaShas was Aseh Tov.
ReplyDeleteThe internet asifa inspired me to get a filter.
ReplyDeleteto me and many of those I know,
ReplyDeletethe internet asifa was a chillul hashem although some of its goals were admirable and the
siyum hashas was a tremedous kidush hashem.
In what way was it a Chilul hashem?
DeleteBecause only we Yidden can rent a stadium, pack in 40,000 people, and decide the biggest evil in all of the known universe is cell phones and internet.
ReplyDeleteThen we congratulate ourselves for a Maariv davened by 40,000 people together, while the rest of the world laughs themselves sick over how ridiculous it is to rent the stadium for crying about the internet in the first place (AND OFFERING NO SOULTIONS!!!). Of course, no one is happy about the night’s events, because everyone had a different agenda they wanted to advance. [Can you imagine the Kiddush HaShem that would have been made had we invited all those who suffer from the inadvertent evils the internet provides (community leaders, social workers, school principals, to name a few - Jewish, and otherwise) to join us in an open dialogue to find a solution for the whole world? What better example of an ohr la’amim than that? What, you think only we have a problem with this?]
But, of course, the "egrof shel chanifa" is alive and well, so everyone says what an unmitigated success this was - because the gedoilim spoke and the oilam listened. Even though there were no gedoilim talking, as they were just being used as mouthpieces for some filter software.
Even when the whole world is laughing in our faces, we still hold onto the stupidities of being a good sheep and doing what you’re told as you’re driven to the edge of the cliff by some internet filter selling snake charmer who convinced some people with beards the importance of his product.
And many, many people shook their heads in disbelief and wondered if this is the vision for the future that we are selling ourselves, and our children.
Or if we have one at all.
{and i am posting with my name - i wont hide behind anonymity.}