Screens in our Lives and in Society (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Screens in our Lives and in Society 

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Our contemporary life, especially that of young people, is closely connected with screens — those of television, cinema, computers, tablets, smartphones, and so on. Screens have deeply penetrated our lives and our society. This too is a product of electrical energy and modern technology. Their use is necessary and beneficial, but their overuse creates many problems for our health and our social interaction, because human social relationships are also disrupted. It is a common phenomenon to encounter groups of young people all looking at their smartphones and not conversing — or conversing with one another through messages — while they are together.

In a main article of a newspaper (TA NEA, 4 November 2025) titled “Screens,” the danger of excessive screen use is presented, especially among children and adolescents. It is noted at the outset that “mobile phones and tablets have unfortunately become an inseparable part of children’s everyday life.” The article then presents the results of a study by “the unit for the treatment of young people’s addiction to mobile phones and tablets" at the General Children's Hospital Panagioti and Aglaia Kyriakou, according to which a high rate of screen addiction among children is observed. Specifically, “78% of minors aged 5 to 12 use the internet, while in the age group of 10 to 12 the percentage reaches 90%.” Adolescents in particular “spend six hours a day in front of a screen, when the recommended maximum exposure time is two to three.”

The Hatred of the Internet

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The newspaper Ta Nea (5/19/2025) conducted an investigation titled "The Keyboards of... Hate", in which the data of the Ministry of Citizen Protection on cases of abusive speech on social networking media were presented, and "testimonies of victims of abusive speech" with the consequences in the psychological sphere are recorded. In fact, "the perpetrators act with the belief that they will not be prosecuted."

In the main article of the same newspaper simply titled "Hate" it is written:

"In recent years, a new type of hatred, extremely dangerous and complex in its forms, has spread with disproportionate consequences. The hatred of the Internet. Today's research by 'NEON' not only describes its versions. Not only does it emphatically note its effects. But it also underlines the current legislative framework and the institutional shield that we have or must expand against the carriers of this hatred.

The "Policing" of our Lives (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Society needs the police to impose order and balance on it, but man is uncomfortable with the policing of his personal life. Unfortunately, however, policing is increasingly moving into the private and internal areas of man, not necessarily by the police, but by modern technology.

We all know that phones, mobile and fixed, are monitored for social and national security. Also, various voices are heard about the chips that are inserted everywhere, even in ID cards.

However, the policing is done in ways that we do not suspect, since the mobile "smart" phones determine at least the place of our stay, and the GPS that we use for our path to the exact destination, tracks us with precision.

Artificial Intelligence as Artificial Brilliance (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

To an English speaker without a knowledge of Greek, this article won't make a lot of sense, since the author is using two different ways of talking about Artificial Intelligence (Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη and Τεχνητή Εὐφυΐα). The literal translation of Εὐφυΐα is the word "brilliance", though it really is another word for intelligence, but the other Greek word for intelligence, Νοημοσύνη, contains the word "nous" or "noetic", which in Orthodox theology is the highest faculty of the human being that has spiritual connotations. This article therefore is about replacing the Greek word Νοημοσύνη with Εὐφυΐα, though in English both mean "intelligence". To understand the difference, I have rendered Εὐφυΐα as "brilliance". It is an important theological discussion, but not applicable in English, so do not think that "Artificial Intelligence" should be replace with "Artificial Brilliance" in English.

 

Artificial Intelligence as Artificial Brilliance

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Nowadays, there is a lot of talk not only about Artificial Intelligence, but also about its consequences in our lives. Opinions are expressed about the benefits that will come from its implementation, but also the risks that result from the abolition of human freedom and the alteration of human rights.

Thus, the pioneers of Artificial Intelligence sounded the alarm of modern technology and emphasized that they must set limits.

For example, Geoffrey Hinton, who is described as "the father of Artificial Intelligence", in an interview he gave to the New York Times, explained that he left Google to speak freely about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. In fact, he particularly emphasized that "some of the dangers arising from artificial intelligence Chatbots (software) were quite scary." “Right now, she's not smarter than us, as far as I can tell. But I think that soon it can be done."

The Bitten Apple of Apple Inc. (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The whole world is being led into a "virtual reality". When we speak of "virtual reality", "we mean the simulation of a real or imaginary environment by a computer". As we read, "current VR technology often uses virtual reality headsets or multi-view environments, sometimes in combination with physical environments or scenery, to create images, sounds, and other sensations that simulate a user's physical presence in a virtual or imagined environment" (Wikipedia).

In an exhibition created for the anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821, I was given the opportunity, using "virtual reality", to be inside the Church of the Holy Lavra, when Bishop Germanos of Old Patras raised the banner of the Revolution, and even to be a spectator of a battle between Greeks and Turks.

The Use and Overuse of the Word "Narrative" (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

I often hear journalists and politicians use the word "his narrative" or "her narrative" in oral and written speech. At first I felt dissatisfied with the misuse of the word. It's certainly a good word, but its abuse in combination with the substitution of other words made me uncomfortable.

Let me quote some phrases that I highlighted which I came across that were either spoken orally or presented in writing: "The government narrative", "the dominant narrative", "his wife ... is the voice of the narrative", "the narrative with which he politicized", "the historical narrative of our neighboring country", "our national narrative", "killing his narrative", "a new narrative about the relations between Greece and Northern Macedonia is inaugurated", etc. I also found the expression "the narrative of the narrative"!

The Law of True Leadership (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Leaders - ecclesiastical, social and political - lead the people to whom they have been appointed and are not led by them. They are in charge of formulating the truth in pure language and of shaping people appropriately to follow it.

This must be done with knowledge of things, with calmness and composure, with sobriety and freedom, but also with many sacrifices. A real leader does their work sacrifically and martyrically. They do not reconcile themselves with the passions of the people, nor are pressured by the people they are supposed to guide.

Movie Review: "Man of God" (2021) - Reviewed by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

I watched with interest the film "Man of God" which refers to Saint Nektarios, Metropolitan of Pentapolis, founder of the Sacred Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Aegina, the production of which the Sacred Monastery of Vatopaidi from the Holy Mountain took part.

The life and conduct of Saint Nektarios, but also the miraculous charisma given to him by God, are wonderful, as well as his theological patristic training is also wonderful. His texts show the meeting of theology and pastoral care.

Watching this particular movie, the first thought that came to my mind is that our director and producers are not engaged in the projection and presentation of the elements of Orthodox tradition, but are content with presenting the various diseased elements of everyday men, with their various passions, love affairs, rivalries, violence, divorces, murders. A Serbian director, Yelena Popovic, had to come to show us that the people need to follow the healthy models which can be found in the Orthodox ecclesiastical environment.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Voting

 

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

 

The power of the vote for human societies is great and expresses the state of the democracy of each nation, by which leaders emerge. 

 

Certainly the vote is an expression of the ideologies, expectations and visions of each person, but at the same time it is also an expression of resistance and dissatisfaction. Thus, the vote within it has both positive and negative elements and always depends on the mentality of the voter. While it is a vote expressed by crossing out or on a white ballot, it hides the personal story of each voter. What would we hear if it was possible to make a "psychobiography of the voter"! Of course, some modern scholarly analysts have the conditions and ways to detect these ins and outs of voters, but this cannot be done with precision.

 

Realism and Faith

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

June 2020

Observing the events of history and society, we find that humanity has gone through modernism in relation with rationalism, thought, science, progress, etc., and then came postmodernism, which challenged the sturdy foundations, challenged all certainties, objectivity, etc.

In an article of the Daily News, Tasoula Karaiskaki stressed that the seed of doubt and controversy, which characterizes our time, has become "dynamite that divides everything", "it has become a weapon in the hands of conspiracy theorists and populists, pseudo-experts, the superstitious and all kinds of deniers," who question everything such as "climate change, the sphericity of the earth, the effectiveness of vaccines, the existence of the coronavirus".

Preaching and the Internet: A Contemporary Pastoral Problem

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The case of Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou in regards to his talk on homosexuality and his persecution, without knowing what the outcome of the case will be, revealed a problem that exists in contemporary society.

It is a given that the Metropolitan of Morphou is a pious Hierarch with an ecclesiastical consciousness and an ecclesiastical mindset, who reveres the traditions of the Church and very much reveres the saints he met in his life, namely Saint Porphyrios and Saint Iakovos. He manifests these gifts in many and various ways.

Orthodox Saints and the Future of America

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

The latest information from our press has announced a new book written about the late actress Marilyn Monroe by Joyce Carl Oates, which in reality is presented as a fictional biography. But what is important in this case and needs to be noted is that in the interview granted by the author of this book there is a characteristic quote: "In America cinematography is a religion. We don't have saints, but we have folklore" (Ελευθεροτυπία, 11/06/2000).

Capitalism's Ideology (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos

of Nafpaktos and St. Vlassios

Nowadays, two prominent ways of life prevail in mankind, which have been transformed into two ideologies respectively; that is, Western individualism and Eastern collectivism. In Western individualism, characterized by liberalism, an unbridled freedom of the individual prevails, along with competition which is a detrimental factor to society overall. In Eastern collectivism state dominance prevails, which undermines people’s freedom. In both instances, man is overlooked as a person, just as human society is not regarded as a society of human persons.

Voltaire and Atheism

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The French writer and philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778) is known as an enlightener, and many who consider him an enlightener assume he was an atheist, that he didn't believe in God. But this cannot be observed in actuality.

Modernity and Journalism (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Recently a newspaper published a decalogue for a good journalist, written by someone who for years worked as a "military journalist" and is a follower of "absolute truth and objectivity." From this decalogue I would like to present the first five principles of a good journalist:

1. Always write the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

2. Cite your sources. If your source wants to remain anonymous, be skeptical.

The Information Age and the Empty Tomb of Christ

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

We live in an era of information and information technology, an age in which television broadcasts play an important role. Despite this, however, we live in an era of disinformation and misinformation. We learn a lot of news going on in the world, but we ignore the greatest news, which is the essence of things.

The Religious-Economic War in Europe

From left, Sigmar Gabriel and Wolfgang Schäuble of Germany and Michel Sapin and Emmanuel Macron of France. 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

Europe has known many religious wars, especially with the advent of the Reformers, who cut themselves off from the Papists ("Catholics"). Luther dominated Germany, Calvin dominated Geneva and Zwingli dominated Zurich. Normally political leaders chose the religious faith they wanted, which resulted in civil strife, wars, persecutions, etc. The tendency of Europeans to unfetter themselves from religious faith is not independent of these conflicts, the so-called religious wars.

Political Parties and the Church

By His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos

of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

I think that the work and purpose of the Church is different from the work and purpose of the State and Parties. Parties are necessary in a democratic society, otherwise an oligarchy and dictatorship will prevail. Political and ideological divergence among Parties serves society, because in this way citizens can choose which Party expresses and represents their views before Parliament. The doctrine "words dispute with other words" is the characteristic feature of democracy, human society and all ideological systems. This is why there are various slogans at times, such as change, deliverance, cleansing, modernization, reform, etc., which circulate the objectives for the Parties purposes.

Exercising the Brain With Reading

By His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos

of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The era of the economic crisis has been consistent with the sales of books; people do not buy new books and hence they do not read. Most make out with what is given to them for free or with television. However, reading books can be an "antidote" to the economic crisis, and it can help us in many ways.

"The Internet Over Us!"

By His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos

of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The Internet has firmly entered our lives, since a lot of people are using it, but especially all modern young people are users to such an extent that to talk about dependence is identical to talking about addictive substances - drugs, alcohol - and assistance is needed for rehabilitation by a psychologist.

The word Internet indicates "an international network of computer systems, created by connecting multiple networks worldwide for immediate information sharing for scientific, commercial, educational and recreational purposes" (George Babiniotis).