I take breaks from the news and social fairly often. What I read can be too much for me. So, I need to walk away for the sake of my emotional and spiritual health.
There’s so much that’s broken in the world and the contempt I see in so many social media posts only works to enlarge the fissures. Where my heart softens from some of the things I read, it hardens in response to other things. And if there’s anything I dislike, it’s a hard heart inside of myself.
And really, that’s the reason why the system is broken. It’s broken because I’m broken.
The problem with what’s going on around me is merely a mirror of the problem with what’s going on inside of me. The broken system is made up of broken people. A full 100% of us are broken. Sure, some contribute more than others to the mess that is the system we take part in, but every broken participant is, well, a broken participant. I am a part of the problem. Always.
So, while I may be able to walk away from the news and social media, I don’t have the ability to walk away from myself. I continue to carry my own broken, sinful self wherever I go. I may want to hide from me, but I can’t. And clearing myself of all of the noise of the broken, sinful world around me enables me to pay attention to my broken self. When I’m plugged in to the noise, it’s easy for me to point out the brokenness around me. But when I unplug, the only one I can point the finger at is myself.
So, as I unplug now, I have a few questions for myself:
As we deal with a broken system that pushes down some in order to lift up others, where do I participate in that? Where do I benefit from what’s wrong? Where do I need an attitude shift?
Where do I put myself in a self-protective stance? How might I be more vulnerable and other-oriented?
Which voices am I listening to? Who else ought I to listen to? Which voices do I need to quiet?
Who has my respect? Who has my contempt? Am I willing to offer respect to those I disagree with?
Are my actions truly harmless or are there harmful ways I behave that I’m not aware of (or intentionally unaware of)? How might simple shifts in my behavior make things better for others? What will be the cost to me of change? Am I willing to pay it?
Where has my heart grown hard? What would a softer heart in me look life, feel like?
How am I praying? What am I not praying about? How might my prayers be different in the face of what’s going on in the world around me and inside of me?