Readers’ block

It’s happening with more frequency now: Friends or acquaintances who ask about my work and then say something like: “I just try not to pay attention to the news anymore.”

Often, these are thoughtful Christians worn down by what seems like a circus in Washington and a dumpster fire around the world.

For others, it’s the torrent of the trivial.

Here’s a sampling of some of today’s top stories at BuzzFeed: “Which millennial stereotype are you?” “I just learned that there are Disney Princess Engagement rings and they are SO PRETTY.”

Beyond the trivial, there’s the terrible: Looming famine in Yemen and a war in South Sudan few pay attention to anymore.

The impulse can develop: Just block it all out. Indeed, Google Chrome has an extension just for the task: “sadblock.” It’s not clear how well it works, but the tool promises to hide “sad stories, political posts and more from your social media feed while you browse.” The website boasts “381,952 sads blocked.”

I won’t pretend it’s not tempting to install.

But perhaps there’s a better course: At the end of the year, it’s a good time to reflect on our reading habits, and ask if we’re treating our intake like a healthy diet or mindless eating: When we leave our computers or put down our phones, do we feel nourished and perhaps strengthened or bloated but not full?

Here are a few questions that might be helpful to ask for the media-fatigued, the media-obsessed, or those in between:

• Am I consuming content or is content consuming me?

One of the best self-assessments for answering this question is found in our ability to be away from technology for extended periods of time.

I recently directed a wedding, and the young groomsmen revolted when I asked them to leave their cell phones in their (secure) dressing room or other safe place during the ceremony. The idea of being physically separated from their devices had a visceral effect on these young men, even if they knew they wouldn’t be taking calls or texting for the 40 minutes their best friends were making a lifelong covenant before God and witnesses.

Suggestion: Regular periods of Sabbath-style breaks from all technology. For some, it may be a whole day or just a few hours, but the inability to separate from any object for an extended period of time could be a symptom of idolatry.

• Am I reading shorter and shorter bits of text?

This isn’t a groundbreaking question, but it’s worth considering. Twitter bursts, Instagram captions, and bite-size news stories promise to digest information for us. But they often undermine our ability to gain enough information to think for ourselves. As Nicholas Carr argued in his outstanding book The Shallows: “We don’t see the forest when we search the Web. We don’t even see the trees. We see twigs and leaves.”

Suggestion: Tuck into a long article at least once a week, and a print book more often. (Different seasons of life give different people more or less time to read, but it’s worth making some time no matter what your stage of life.)

• Do I read mindfully?

This goes back to the question of diet: When I’m online, am I consuming tasty, but healthy meals, or am I cramming down empty calories that fuel my desire for more junk food? There’s nothing wrong with the occasional piece of cake or pie (or photo stream of the latest pics of Princess Charlotte), but if you are what you eat, the same might apply to reading.

Suggestion: Have set periods of time for using social media and the internet, and break away when they’re over. When you’re online, be aware of how you’re spending your time.

• Do I only read things I agree with?

The echo chamber is hard to avoid, but as a journalist for a magazine dependent on readers, I still don’t advise reading only one publication. If you’re never engaging with a newspaper or magazine you often disagree with, it may be hard to engage actual people about worldviews that differ from yours.

Suggestion: Peruse one or two magazines or websites you disagree with during a week or month. Find out what other thinkers are thinking.

• Do I avoid bad news?

This goes back to our original question. If we avoid bad news because it makes us feel bad, then we are avoiding the sinful tragedies only Christ’s atoning sacrifice can address in a meaningful way.

Suggestion: This is a shameless plug, but read WORLD and enter into the suffering of fellow Christians and others around the world. It’s one way of heeding the prophet Isaiah’s admonition to be aware of the suffering of others, and “not to hide yourself from your own flesh.”

• Does my reading ever lead me to service, giving, and/or prayer?

This is our goal at WORLD. When I’m writing a story, I always hope it might encourage someone to pray for people who are suffering, or in the simplest of ways give thanks to God for His work in the world. Sometimes readers give to groups they find worthy, or they find ways to connect their local churches with local ministries.

Suggestion: Ask if I’m reading the kind of material that leads to spiritually meaningful action of some kind.

• Am I reading the Bible?

I’ve saved the most important question for last, but a Biblical worldview must be informed by the Bible. If I’m only reading books about the Bible, or articles about a Biblical view of issues, I’m missing the most important reading habit of all: Daily, systematic reading of God’s Word.

Suggestion: During the month of December make a plan, or re-commit to a plan, to read through the Bible systematically next year. In a 24-hour news cycle, it’s helpful to remember the Psalmist’s prayer: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”