Generation Download

The shop was dappled with colorfully dressed bouncing little boys and girls accompanied by their parents, older sibling or ‘yayas’. Many couldn’t wait for their turn. Their eyes voraciously scanned every item in the store and their little fingers constantly pointed at what they wanted so badly.

There used to be a time when vendors in this mall whispered in a low voice “DVD! DVD! DVD!” as they cautiously peddled bootleg movies, MP3s and software. Now, they audibly call out ‘DOWNLOAD! DOWNLOAD! DOWNLOAD!” I believe, this marketing tag may later on be abbreviated to DLOAD.

One of the boys finally got his turn to buy. I observed that while still in line, he was already eyeing every available animated theme on the huge computer screen. Now it was his turn to choose and he was definitely having a hard time deciding which to buy. He looked like he wanted to scream, “I WANT EVERYTHING!”

This scene reminded me about some kids –who by now would be men in their respective university careers– whom I accompanied to a biking excursion in Olango Island. When we stopped by a sari-sari store for some refreshments, all except one bought. Instead, he carefully surveyed every item in the store and when everyone was done with buying, he surprised the store owner by asking, “HOW MUCH IS THE STORE?”

Back to the mall, these kids were having a field day buying everything – wallpapers, themes, MP3s, movies and above all video games which they could download into their gadgets. Money isn’t much of a problem for them. Not because they’re rich, but because they could indulge in a bundle of almost unlimited themes, music, movies and games for such a miserly price! To top it all, someone else does it for them. Welcome to dGen of Generation Download.

The Internet has undoubtedly made it easier for us to access many of our needs, both the important and the trivial. The routine is simple: first you must have a want, for example, a funny video clip, music or an application. This could have been introduced by someone via e-mail or your social network. Second, you either Google the item or you simply click on the hyperlink your friend sent you. Finally, you download the file to your PC, laptop or tablet. These three simple steps comprise the process of downloading.

Downloading has changed the way we obtain things by conveniently saving them directly into our computer or laptop. This may not yet be at par with Star Trek’s celebrated adage ‘beam me up, Scotty’, but the Internet is our present-day teleport beam. Instead of beaming people, it delivers whatever want or need one may have.

Back in the old days, I still recall how my father introduced me to Matchbox toy cars. These were the must-have toys for boys. They weren’t sold where we lived in the province. Once a month we had a chance to visit relatives in the city and this was my chance to buy a toy car. Like the boy in the mall I was asked to choose, but unlike him I could only have one toy car. What followed after was a month-long wait or even longer.

In the meantime, that one car sufficed to fill my child’s imagination for months. It became a plane, a train, a spaceship and a thousand more crazy things. But in that one car also rode other important lessons: of moderation, the acceptance of a “no” or a “later” to my many requests, the material care to make it last, how to share it with others and realizing that nothing is permanent when it got broken or stolen.

I felt a deep compassion for the children leisurely downloading their audio-visual and digital ‘toys’ at the mall. I wondered how this trend was going to help them download lasting and important lessons from life, family, friends, and work. What of their spiritual foundations? How will they learn to upload their prayers and sacrifice to God when such activities are more immaterial and less visually appealing? How will they be able to save the invisible graces found in the storehouses of mercy and nourishment found in the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist?

This downloading trend poses a new challenge for parents, elders and mentors. It is a call to teach children to live a more dynamic form of sobriety and temperance in their daily digital exposure. But this lesson must begin with our own example. We must demonstrate that we can continue to live life and enjoy our day without having a ‘digital dependency’ on FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter and other forms of cyber interactions.

Instead, through our personal moderation and also abstinence, the young will discover how to download from our hearts and words the priceless lessons of love, sacrifice, patience, service, understanding, compassion, diligence, and many other authentic gifts that ensure that our love ones will not tread the future empty and degenerated.