A Baker’s Dozen
We live in tumultuous and divisive times. A year of a pandemic and social and political unrest has revealed and exacerbated fault lines that have been in existence, but it has also given rise to new divisions and turmoil. No doubt what has played out on a national level in places like Washington D.C.; Kenosha, Wisconsin; and Portland, Oregon; you have witnessed to some degree locally in your own settings. And the conflicts seen nationally and locally are then most definitely seen virtually in the world of social media. And what happens in social media in great part fuels the tensions, divisions, and the turmoil we see on the local and national levels and all in a seemingly endless feedback loop.
If you are like me, as you watch the battles roll, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness can quickly set in. There seems to be so little you can do to stop it all and it’s enough to make even the most optimistic postmillennialist suffer bouts of depression. Can I get an “amen?”
Minus the postmillennialist part, that was me earlier this year as I listened to the news and watched the fall-out on social media. It was a good opportunity for self-reflection, particularly on the place of social media in my life. Should I respond on social media to the crises du jour? If so, how and when? In what manner? Should I use social media in the first place? If so, how? Really, honestly, why was I on it? Are temptations for me to respond sinfully too great? Am I more likely to be a slave to it or a responsible user of it? As I reflected, several thoughts crystallized for me. For what it's worth, here's a baker's dozen of things I know. Maybe they can help you navigate the times better. If so, great!
1. I should spend less time on social media rather than more.
2. I should seldom respond to someone else's social media offering when I strongly disagree with it.
3. I should resist "hot take" responses to big issues and events. Prayer and careful thought are the need.
4. I should always question media sources, not only those that don't align with my own opinions but also those that do.
5. I should always remember that statistics about human beings (e.g., voters, Covid-19 cases, etc.) are about human beings and compiled by human beings – image bearers of God and sinners.
6. I should be wary regarding sharing things that might be false or misleading (do I actually know this to be true?).
7. I should remember that "but, what about them?!" and "it wasn't me – it was him!" weren't generally good responses to give my parents when I was a child. They probably aren't the best adult responses either.
8. I should never think I am omni-competent.
9. I should pull planks out of my own eyes more often.
10. I should pray more often and more fervently.
11. I should love in word and deed.
12. I should put my trust more and more in God rather than in myself or others and I should encourage others to do the same.
13. I should not expect the world to love Christ, His Gospel, or His Bride, but I also shouldn't be an obnoxious jerk causing them to conflate my obnoxiousness with Christ, His Gospel, and His Bride.
Social Media platforms all have their dangers and pitfalls, and social media engagement does too, especially if I get sucked further and further in. That said, I find myself agreeing with James White when he tweets:
My humble suggestion: don’t bail on social media. Remain a light. Speak truth, tempered with grace, knowing you yourself have been redeemed from the evil of the world. If you are removed, go as one knowing you left as a light in the darkness, with a clear conscience.
I just need to keep asking myself, why am I on social media to begin with? I hope it is to stay connected with friends and family who are at a distance and hopefully be a ray of light in a dark world rather than a purveyor of more darkness.