Elder Ballard Never Said Stop Playing Pokemon Go

So a lot has been said lately from a statement that Elder Ballard made at a regional broadcast.

Now someone has found one more way to keep family members occupied away from what matters most…It’s something called ‘Pokemon Go.’ I don’t understand this, and don’t ask me anything about it. I just know one thing is that young people, and maybe a lot of old people, they look down on their smartphones, trying to find Pokemon, I guess, instead of looking up to see the beautiful creations of God’s wonderful world.

​Now taken out of context it may seem that he was discouraging members from playing Pokemon Go. However, it was said in a light hearted manner, almost as a joke while at the same time, trying to drive a point home. It’s not about any one single app, game or event. He was trying to drive home the fact that we do spend too much time on things that really are not the most important thing in this life.

These things could be one of a million different events, apps, games, activities that distract us from one of the most important things in life, spending quality time with our loved ones. If used properly, one could argue that playing Pokemon Go as a family could be time well spent.

Even when you are around your family, how often are we physically there but mentally distant upon other matters? Either way, the overall point was not to single out Pokemon Go and have everyone immediately stop playing, but rather, be mindful of how we are spending our time.