The Indian-born SDB Priest shared that listening to the struggles of young people during the COVID-19 pandemic inspired him to develop the tool to help them get rid of their various addictions.
“I realized that many young people, and even adults, spend a lot of time on social media doing trivial things. This lack of discipline in the use of social media leads them into addictive bad habits such as watching pornographic content that strips them of their dignity,” he said.
The manual, which will be launched on February 17 is ideal for reflection and preparation before the Easter Season, Fr. Selvam said, and explained, “The manual is ideal for personal reflection, that is why we are launching it on the Friday before lent. The manual teaches the method of integrating prayer in daily life for the forty days of lent.”
The 90-page book is based on the theory that self-regulation contributes to one’s wellbeing, the Professor in Psychology and veteran educationist who has previously served in academic administration at Nairobi-based Tangaza University College (TUC) notes.
Users read two pages of text telling them what to do and the philosophy behind every decision they are supposed to make every day for 40 days. The book, which has daily reflections leading to action, also introduces users to journaling, goal-setting, meditation, and undertaking gratifying activities.
The book is about integrating virtues into one’s life for one to build his or her character and lead happy and virtuous lives.
Fr. Selvam put the manual to task during lent last year when he invited thousands of users to a pilgrimage of reflection and meditation on the WhatsApp platform.
“Initially, I had intended to invite only 100 people to participate in the 40-day challenge on WhatsApp, but over 2,500 expressed an interest in the program. Since WhatsApp could only permit a limited number of people, I ended up creating more than 10 groups of people,” he said.
Fr. Selvam continued, “Some 200 people dropped out because the program was very demanding, but the rest completed the pilgrimage.”
The advantage of the book, the Salesian Priest said, is that it gives access to materials for reflection and that it is not just limited to smartphone users and people with the internet.
