140 Characters or Less

People are processors. That’s just what we do. Our brains are inundated with information every second. Our eyes are relaying what they’re seeing, our ears are telling us what they’re hearing, our finger tips are conveying what they’re feeling, and so on. Not only do we need to be able to handle that stuff, but every detail is making connections to other bits of information that we have stored and is evoking memories and emotional responses. How on earth do we handle it all?

We process.

Different people process in different ways. Some process by talking; they often have no idea what they’re thinking until they talk it out. I have a feeling that Peter was a talker. Bold, rash Peter who said the first thing that popped into his head no matter if he was talking to the God who created the universe or to the lame beggar at the gate. Yes, I think he was a talker.

Some people are thinkers. These mull over everything in their mind until it’s properly dealt with. Mary was a thinker. Luke 2:19 says that she took all the events that happened at Jesus’ birth and pondered them in her heart.

And then we have writers. I process best by writing. If I don’t write, my thoughts are only partially developed, floating around and wreaking havoc in my mind until I can deal with them. History has favored writers in that while many great thoughts over the centuries have gone unuttered and many great words have been left unrecorded, words written have been preserved. I suspect Luke and John were both writers, and of course you have people like Dickens and Shakespeare.

In the past, thoughts were developed into volumes of books, an event expanded into a great epic, and a word grew into a complex poem. Something would happen and it was analyzed from every angle, a deeper meaning was pursued and hidden truths were sought after. Of course this was done in different ways–Mary pondered, Peter talked, Dickens wrote–but it was done.

Today, I believe our culture is losing depth. Rather than being encouraged to search out meaning we’re told to simplify. After a life changing event we’re expected to condense it into 140 characters or less. Deepness is not applauded–quick, short punchlines are.

Funny story: I went on a 40 day Facebook fast a couple of years ago, and it was so much harder than I anticipated! Not because I needed to keep up with everyone, but because Facebook had become my outlet for processing. Someone would say something and my mind would immediately process and simplify it into a Facebook sized post. What did I do during these 40 days you wonder? How did I cope? I’m glad you asked! The very first day, I turned to journaling. I continued to journal nearly every day until I promptly stopped when the fast was over.

Recently, I’ve nearly given up on Facebook in favor of Twitter. One consequence of this is that I occasionally find myself thinking thoughts (for what else would you think) in segments of 140 characters! It’s funny. Then it becomes scary. To think that something like Twitter or Facebook could have such an influence on something so fundamental to me such as the ability process my thoughts and feelings is very sobering.

So, how do we counteract the influence of things like social media? Well, I’m not exactly sure yet. But, I suspect it involves prayer and the Word. For example, if you’re a talker, pour out your feelings to God in prayer. If you’re a thinker, always be in the Word to keep your mind from being bombard by distracting media. If you’re a writer, discipline yourself to keep a prayer journal so you are developing your thoughts in a Godly way.

You know, come to think of it, we should be doing all three things anyway...