I was reminded again this morning of what social media is doing to us, not by actual example, but by the observation of someone to whom I was listening, lamenting how we can no longer sit through the longer readings of things. It’s all about the sound bite. The clickbait. The quick and dirty. Don’t give me all of those boring details, just tell me what I need to know so I can file it under “agrees with me,” or “disagrees with me.”
No more nuance. No more “both sides of the story.” Just “yup” and “nope.” And because of this, we miss so much. Because of this, we unwittingly build profiles and algorithms that further isolate us. We begin to see only what is agreeable, and we believe anything outside of that is just plain wrong.
But the part of the trap I’m talking about now is the fact that we’re not able to rescue ourselves without the discipline it takes to return to long-form. Longer articles, longer books, longer conversations and healthy debates. We’ve become more and more like goldfish – stuck in our little bowls with our short attention spans – and we think the hand that feeds us [those disgusting flakes] is the giver of truth. I’m reminded of what C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Here, Lewis was talking about missing out on the joy of knowing God personally, but it could just as well apply to life in general today. We have this vast world about us, and we sit in a stew of putrid opinion…not knowing any better because we’re perfectly satisfied with our own stink. I guess this is what comes with the abandonment of God. With no standard but our own, and under the constant bombardment of a runaway self-help culture, we have no choice but to believe everything’s just peachy. If it isn’t, there is no alternative but to blame ourselves…or more likely, those idiots and assholes (the “confederacy of dunces”) that surround us.
This doesn’t mean, though, that to fail in a world ruled by God gives us a pass. No. The faults and failures are still our own, but at least in a world with God we can live with the hope that there will be a day when all of these will be washed away and we’ll awaken to a new life and a new world of true joy and peace.
This isn’t “pie-in-the-sky” stuff to me. I have reason to believe in God that goes well beyond any kind of wishful thinking (and I’ll gladly share why to any of you who want to know). But any way you come at it, you should at least consider the heart of what I’m saying here. What do you think is better: continuing in a world with no hope outside of that which we, ourselves, produce; or to live in a world of promise? The promise.
Christmas is just around the corner. What better time to draw a contrast between the reality of our countless echo chambers and the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” It’s a time to get serious. It’s a time to think long and hard about these things…if we are still able.
“sit in a stew of putrid opinion … perfectly satisfied with our own stink” What the hell? Clearly the cup is half empty vice full kind of day.
Our interaction with others through social media is as good or bad as we allow it. It’s easier to keep others at a distance and interact as we see fit. Face to face contact took a big hit over the last couple years which made social media an easy means to fill the gap. The name’s all wrong though, there’s very little social about emoji responses to comments or posts.
As for the abandonment of God, media (be it social, main stream or entertainment) has done its best to stamp any acknowledgement of His message or presence. We are also culpable for refusing to speak out about it.
This world without God or his promise of hope and gift of grace would be unbearable. I’d rather think about that than dwell on the apparent emptiness and desolation we create in it in without Him.
Good thoughts, Mike, and I see your perspective. I’m coming from “without God the glass is empty,” and I know you are too; but we might capture it slightly differently. I can’t contrast the hopelessness of humanity by being kind in my words about this, but if you look back at my post just a couple of days before, you’ll see my philosophy more clearly in how I approach others. It’s much nicer, lol.