Things As They Really Are

For this unit of my class we had to listen to a really, really excellent talk by Elder David A. Bednar called "Things As They Really Are." This talk especially struck home for me because in it he counsels us regarding things like internet use and video games (which are and have been very prevalent in my life, and which I have strong feelings about). But what I especially love is that it isn't the same rehashed message about avoiding bad media and seeking out things that are "virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy" (though those are great messages as well). Instead, he takes a different approach on the whole issue, and it makes incredibly good sense.

I will go over some of my favorite parts in this blog post, but I really encourage you to watch his whole talk here:

And/or read it by clicking here.

It is really, really good.

And here are some of my favorite points that he makes:


First, Satan wants to disconnect us from our bodies because he is does not have one.
Elder Bednar says:

"In essence, [Satan] encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication."

Elder Bednar also advises us to be wary of wasting away our time in a digital world instead of living in the real world:

"Consider again the example I mentioned earlier of a young couple recently married in the house of the Lord. An immature or misguided spouse may devote an inordinate amount of time to playing video games, chatting online, or in other ways allowing the digital to dominate things as they really are. Initially the investment of time may seem relatively harmless, rationalized as a few minutes of needed relief from the demands of a hectic daily schedule. But important opportunities are missed for developing and improving interpersonal skills, for laughing and crying together, and for creating a rich and enduring bond of emotional intimacy. Progressively, seemingly innocent entertainment can become a form of pernicious enslavement."

Next point: we should not do things in a video game or online that we would not do in real life. Just because it is "not real" doesn't make experimenting with sins okay. Elder Bednar says:

"A simulation or model can lead to spiritual impairment and danger if the fidelity is high and the purposes are bad—such as experimenting with actions contrary to God’s commandments or enticing us to think or do things we would not otherwise think or do “because it is only a game.”"

This reminded me of a funny video by the BYU comedy troupe called Studio C. The video is about a group of guys who are playing for the first time an extremely realistic game that seems a lot like the Grand Theft Auto series. Watch it below!

As you can see, the guys go into it thinking they will have no moral dilemma over stealing cars at gunpoint or robbing banks (because after all, it's just a game, right?), but find that the game is so realistic that it feels wrong to them. While video games have (fortunately) not yet reached this level of realism, we still shouldn't play games that promote violence and other sinful behavior, thinking it's okay to steal cars, rob banks, or kill people just because it's a video game.

Final point: we are cautioned to not be taken in by the seeming anonymity of the internet. God knows who we are and what we are doing even if no one else does. Elder Bednar says:

"Now I would like to address an additional characteristic of the adversary’s attacks. Satan often offers an alluring illusion of anonymity. Lucifer always has sought to accomplish his work in secret (see Moses 5:30). Remember, however, that apostasy is not anonymous simply because it occurs in a blog or through a fabricated identity in a chat room or virtual world. Immoral thoughts, words, and deeds always are immoral, even in cyberspace. Deceitful acts supposedly veiled in secrecy, such as illegally downloading music from the Internet or copying CDs or DVDs for distribution to friends and families, are nonetheless deceitful. ... The Lord knows who we really are, what we really think, what we really do, and who we really are becoming. He has warned us that “the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed” (D&C 1:3)."

In conclusion, as technologies become more and more advanced and our world becomes more digitized, we need to take care not to become lost in the digital world and forgetful of what is real or of things as they really are.