Self service

Aviva recently rolled out an advertisement for it's new online insurance quotation service. The message was that it's convenient and potential customers don't even need to speak to anybody. Has impersonal and indirect electronic communication systems like email, SMS, chats instead of direct and life conversation became the preferred means of connecting with other people now? It probably is and it is disturbing to me. My recent experience of trying to find people to man the 'tim pemerhati' or 'care ministry team' is an example. The job is at the very least to inform people under their care of upcoming events. But more importantly, they are to befriend and show compassion and attention to the happening in each others' life. I had several people who responded that they are willing to do the email n SMS stuff but they are not willing to do the more direct face to face or life phone contacts.

Why is this happening? The digital age to some degree is the culprit. However, it is true also that human being are becoming segmented and self sufficient increasingly. We like to build walls of protection. What are we trying to protect? Our resources, our time, our own self, our privacy and many more. We are afraid that others instead, will put demand on us. We believe that we don't need anybody and vice versa, others should not have need of us. It is a sad state of affair when such attitude is found within the body of Christ since the world is supposed to know who we are by our love for one another.