[Christian Cerdan]

@bjbeaudrygmail-com you should add your notes here. Would love to know what you thought about the video and the questions asked on here.

[Brian Beaudry]

Overall reaction to the video: it seemed like he might have a little more abstract communication style that I have a hard time following. I also questioned him seemingly elevating science as something good and desirable, while technology becomes bad because it combined science with vision. I’m not sure I agree with that concept. I would argue that while science is great, itself can become your god, or “dream of alchemy”. People can pursue science over anything else, and it can become the very thing that he is saying technology is. I suppose it depends on what he is referring to when he says “science”. I think people pursuing a truth without checking it against God’s truth does the same thing that technology does: it becomes how you define your world.

1. How does your smartphone make you feel “on”? How does it make you feel “off”?

It’s nice to be able to instantly research anything, and instantly access tools like banking, communicating, and media. In those ways it makes me feel empowered. At the same time, I can get pulled into endless research, and find at least one person who validates my opinion, instead of expanding my view by engaging with people who think differently.

2. Where in society do you see humans acting like machines?

Everywhere from in factory assembly lines to a lot of service jobs. The interaction with people is being taken away, and replaced with only receiving the service. It’s not uncommon to see a group of people, maybe at a restaurant, gathered around the same table while they are all looking down at their phones.

3. How can you resist the “dream of alchemy” in your day-to-day life?

Simple church answer: refocus on who God made you to be, and what He has for you.

4. What are you doing or growing in your life right now that might take eight or more years to bear fruit, but in the end, will have lasting impact like that of a 2,000 year old olive tree?

I’m not sure on this. I mean the simple answer would be God’s Kingdom, but nothing specific is coming to mind.

[Christian Cerdan]

Yeah I think he defines science as technology. So he doesn’t differentiate the two at least in this context. And he defines magic as science (technology) with a dream.

1. Yeah I love having the smart phone to be productive cause in a way it does, like you said, make you feel empowered. I can definitely sucked in to wanting to be “productive” all the time tho and then swing to just scrolling through endlessly on my phone.

2. It’s so true. I catch myself being on my phone time to time when around people. And it’s also the temptation like i mentioned above to be productive all the time rather than working from rest.

3. Part of “resisting the dream of alchemy” is refocusing on the purposes of God and also for me embracing the process of “becoming.” That no matter how much technology we have, I can’t sacrifice the process.

4. Here is my answer to this. What I’m “cultivating” – intimacy with God, working from rest, understanding and wisdom, becoming a person of love.

[Brian Beaudry]

I just watched this video today, and I found it paralleled this conversation a lot. Leaving room for creativity and space to be human vs acting like machines.

https://youtu.be/Zq4BOSaKiYo?si=ouLWhkJtEUWq9gg-

[Christian Cerdan]

That’s cool. I love his perspective. Yeah it does go back to the place of embracing the process and the slowness that creativity brings.