Information Loading
a post for thoughts and questions
Before the back to school craze of August, I was doing pretty well at consistently publishing a new piece on Substack three times a month. Once we settled into a school routine, I had every intention of picking up where I left off, but instead, illness rolled through our household. I missed two weeks of work at the library…for my illness alone. I’m hoping that now — mid-October — I can retrain myself to get back to a better writing + publishing schedule. This week I want to pick back up with my Information Loading series, which if you’re new here is a series of blurbs about things I’m thinking and/or questions I’m asking.
10.22.2024
I’m currently 145 pages into a book called The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World by Max Fisher. For someone who holds her BA in communications, this book fascinates me. For someone who uses social media — a lot — in her daily activities (including work) this book terrifies me. But as with other areas of life, it’s good to be armed with knowledge, even if I’m currently just processing and digesting the details. Perhaps someday I’ll completely pull the plug on my various social media accounts, but for right now, I fully intend to finish the book and possibly write something more at length after I’m done.
In my writing group the other day, I was talking about (fine, bemoaning. let’s be real.) the trouble I’m having with being vulnerable in my writing like I used to. I call it THE BEFORE. (Ingenious, I know ;) ) I was probably a bit naive way back when, plowing forward the way I did. Jumping into hard things. Sharing a lot of my life. I had fire in my soul for the work. I still believe in the power of vulnerability in writing, but I’m no longer sure I want to stick my neck out very far, if at all. As a human, this makes sense to me after the last 7 years, as a writer, this makes me feel like a coward. Perhaps it’s simply a painful metamorphosis, but even if that’s true, the grief of the struggle has been very real.
Numbers (the Bible book) has numerous plot twists. It was so nice reading the first 10 chapters where we see Israel carrying out the Lord’s requirements with obedience. And then, wham. I give you chapter 11’s opening line: “Now the people began complaining openly before the LORD about hardship.” Talk about whiplash. I knew it was coming, but it was jolting nevertheless. It’s easy to imagine we’re so much more “evolved” than those biblical characters, but if we’re honest, the same bent toward self-destruction (aka, doing what we want, how we want to do it and good riddance to God’s plan) lives on in us. Praise God for His mercy, grace, and provision for salvation in Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
My pastor is currently preaching through Revelation, and it’s been such a great series. I find myself thinking about the sermons during the week and even referencing them during otherwise ordinary conversations, and it makes me happy! It’s also been a catalyst to self-assessment and group observation, which I find to be a net positive. A big shout-out to Pastor Tom during pastor appreciation month — for one example, I’m thankful for his consistent faithfulness and care that goes into his weekly exposition of scripture!
It’s hard to believe I made the switch to Substack a little over a year ago. Time sure has a way of moving forward fast, doesn’t it?