It seems like almost every day, we are bombarded with news about the epidemic of loneliness and isolation affecting our country and the world.
I listened to a fascinating podcast last week titled “The Anti-Social Century.” It discussed the long term effects (cultural effects, personality changes, psychological effects, etc) caused by more and more hours spent alone or on a phone year over year by the average person, both young and old.
I couldn’t help but think back to conversations from our CIT Ski Retreat in Breckenridge a couple of weeks ago.
Each night during our devotional time, we discussed the types of lives we are invited by God to live and the level of living we often settle for. Each night, a consistent theme was the importance of real and authentic friendships and the barriers we face in building and developing those friendships, such as social media, phones, and cultural norms.
Something unique about our time together every evening in our log cabin was that as soon as we got off the slopes, we all placed our phones into a basket for the evening and spent time together cooking, eating, and hanging out. It was incredible to watch the environment in the room transform once phones were put away. Everybody lingered in the kitchen and talked about life- the joys and the challenges they were each facing in high school.
These young men want deeper connections like those they experience at Rockmont, but struggle to find how to translate those friendships into their everyday lives at school with the distractions of phones and social media.
Our last night together, after a full day of fresh powder on the slopes, we discussed some practical steps everybody could take to try and make space for more authentic connections and friendships back home- steps towards being the best version of ourselves.
I’m not sure these guys have many other places in their lives where they are encouraged to put away their phones and connect with each other. I’m grateful to be able to provide that space for them, both in the summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains and now in the winter in the Rocky Mountains!
Reflecting on this trip, I am blown away by how eager young people are to grow in deeper and more authentic friendships.
As much as others want to say that “all hope is lost” for our younger generations, after spending so much time around them year after year, I am indeed full of hope! The hunger for something real has not gone away but in fact, only grown deeper in intensity.
Our task as adults responsible for their formation is to feed young adults that hunger by providing spaces and communities where they can connect with each other. Cheers to a new year of fulfilling that mission!
Austin Ashcraft
Director