Picking a single most important idea from Amusing Ourselves to Death is like choosing a most beautiful artifact from the Louvre in Paris. Choice paralysis is a phrase that comes to mind. Yet, if a Marxist professor pointed a gun at my head and forced me to answer the question, this would be my choice: to ask is to break the spell.
There is no denying that all of us men have fallen under the magic of a dangerous spell. Modern media has stripped us of our willingness to think and our lifestyles are slowly yielding to the values and practices of mass culture. Often it feels like we are surfing an avalanche with no better option than using one hand to cover our eyes and the other to shield from impact.
What, then, can be we do to resist the gravitational force of Iphones and social media, to detach from an economy of distraction, to break free from binge watching Netflix and Hulu, and to take steps toward fulfilling Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:2? The answer is contained in seven simple words: to ask is to break the spell.
Men, we need to be relentless in asking the following questions: how has the Iphone affected my ability to practice the presence of God? How has Facebook and Instragram limited my ability to meditate on Scripture day and night (Psalms 1)? How has television corrupted my understanding of discipleship, making me think that everything – even a Sunday sermon – ought to be comfortable and entertaining? How has reading the newspaper duped me into mistaking ‘being informed’ for wisdom and ‘skimming the headlines’ for knowledge? And these questions must go beyond the self to address the unforeseen consequences of our Brave New World on our children, families, schools, churches, communities, nations, and shared civilization.
As Christian men on the road to maturity we need to be tireless in asking questions and investigating how our environment is influencing our walk with God. Men, don’t forget – to ask is to break the spell.