STAYING UPDATED AND EMPOWERED | KAIROS GLOBAL | NOVEMBER 2022

Author: Angela Nayak

Intro: What does it mean to be updated and how does one remain updated? Angela Nayak has the answer.

More than a decade ago, I remember walking into the local St Paul’s book store and picking up a black book, titled Catechism of the Catholic Church. I wrote my name on it, covered it with a sheet of plastic and I forgot all about it until the 2020 lockdown.

So why am I sharing this?!

Because it took me that long to realise that there are sufficient resources I can use to be updated even in matters of faith.

So anyway, what does it mean to be updated and how does one remain updated?

To be updated means to be aware of the newest, ‘means’ or ‘ideas’. And we can all agree that the best newest means to stay updated is ‘technological advancement’. The more smarter the phones and devices, the more access we can have to a plethora of apps, blogs, podcasts, videos, etc., and the more access we have to these, the more updated we can be as to what is happening around the world or as to what is trending on the runway this winter or even with regards to the Holy Father’s views on global affairs. The newest means and the newest ideas are in our hands! So it is no longer a task to remain updated or to be aware of the newest.

What really needs to be addressed is ‘Does being updated mean a dismissal of awareness of the old?’

And the answer is a ‘no’ especially when what is old is true in its very essence, because truth never changes! It is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Being updated with the old is as important as with the new, because it enables us to recognise the truth, which is more easily blurred now than ever before.

Life has four significant facets, personal, social, professional and spiritual and each of these require that one not only learns what is new and progresses, but also unlearns some of what is new in the light of the old and stays guarded. So if it is imperative for a grandparent, who was born in the 20th century to learn how to use WhatsApp and increase familial communication, it is equally imperative for a 21st century adolescent to unlearn how to use screen-time and prioritise their health. Likewise, in 2022, reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and gaining an insight into respect for human life—the teaching of an over 2000-year-old Church, puts an adult like myself in a better position to defend my stand with say a 21st century young adult who defends the right to pro-choice. 

And it is in this very sense that I think of the spiritual facet as the stream from which all the other facets receive nourishment. Staying updated in the spiritual helps shape and ground my words, thoughts and deeds in my personal, social and professional areas of life. Whatever the newest, if I am also updated with the oldest, I am in the best position to discern for or against the waves of change.

So yes! It may have taken longer for me to realise that there are sufficient resources I can use to be updated, but it is better late than never. I try and use both old and new means to remain updated on both old and new ideas. I use my smartphone, the internet and social media to learn from a mix of witnesses/bloggers/vloggers/speakers/apologists. I tune into debates and discussions over YouTube. I use my Kindle account to read from a list of authors. Sometimes I use apps to read Sacred Scripture. I buy books to educate myself on history and tradition. I talk to fellow faithful to expose myself to different viewpoints. And most of all, I try to live a life of sacraments, as it empowers me to stay faithful to the truth in all areas of life.

An Assistant Professor of mass communication and journalism,  Angela Nayak lives in Hyderabad, India.