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Media Reviews
Digital Addiction SimonSinek.com
“There’s nothing wrong with social media and cell phones. It’s the imbalance.” —Simon Sinek
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Speaker Simon Sinek is perhaps best known for his 2009 TED talk about helping businesses discover the purpose of why they do what they do. But it was during a more intimate interview with Tom Bilyeu on the show Inside Quest that Sinek addressed a topic that touched on something relating to each of us. Because Sinek often works with companies, the focus of the interview was millennials in the workplace. One of the subjects he talked about was the generation’s use of cell phones and social media and how it has affected not only their work lives but their entire lives. Simon Sinek What he said, though, provided insights not only for the intended audience, but also to behaviors that speak to a pool of people well beyond just that generation. As evidence, in its first week, the video garnered over 80 million views and has now been viewed hundreds of millions of times.
Sinek, an ethnographer (the detailed observation of people in their natural environments), points out that for all of us, social media is akin to a drug. And we’re addicted, he says. That is why we get a rush when we hear the ding of an incoming message or e-mail and we are constantly checking and obsessing over likes, views, and friends, he points out.
“Engagement with social media and our cell phones releases a chemical called dopamine. That’s why when you get a text, it feels good. Dopamine is the exact same chemical that makes us feel good when we smoke, when we drink, and when we gamble. In other words, it’s highly, highly addictive,” says Sinek. “Like all addictions,” he adds, “in time it will destroy relationships, it will cost time, it will cost money, and it will make your life worse.”
Sinek points out that people who have grown up with social media and cell phones have trouble forming deep, meaningful relationships and, in times of stress or trouble, will turn to social media instead of their friends.
He also recounts different scenarios in which people turn to technology rather than each other, such as virtual conference rooms in place of in-person meetings or when a dinner companion leaves the table to go to the bathroom. Our first reaction, he says, is to grab our phone.
He recommends that people do not keep or charge their phones by their beds. “If you wake up and check your phone before you say, ‘Good morning,’ to your girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse, you have an addiction.”
Instead, he says, take your phone out of the bedroom and remove the temptation. As for those who use their phone as an alarm, Sinek has one thing to say: “Buy an alarm clock.”
Videos by Sinek, including the one mentioned here, can be found on his website.
ICONS
The Seven Last Words of Christ
THE HOPE OF GLORY BY JON MEACHAM Convergent
How wonderfully blessed we are to have one of America’s preeminent, popular historians share with us his faith and interpretation of the words Jesus spoke from the cross. Jon Meacham is a former member of the vestries of St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue and Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City. In this age of grand celebrity confession of personal problems, Meacham admits to being a sinner but does not dwell on that.
Instead, he focuses on the redemption we are all promised given the events that unfolded on Good Friday and on Easter Sunday. Using his historian’s eye and writer’s gift of verve, in 128 pages Meacham plumbs the depths of Scripture from the Old and New Testaments to explain how the seven last words of Christ are the centerpiece of what it means to be a serious and committed Christian.
We live in a time marked by hate, division, polarization, and tribalism. The words of Jesus are the antithesis of this paradigm. Love, forgiveness, compassion, and gentleness should be the guiding principles for genuine believers.
What makes this book so singular and different from the other books published by Meacham is the intimacy and personal feeling he imparts to readers. This is more than just mere preaching to the choir. Rather, Meacham’s humility, grace, gravitas, and stature in American culture take a back seat to his admission of faith. Risky? Maybe. But aren’t all Christians called to take the ultimate risk as Jesus did and put their total trust in the divine power of a compassionate God?
Each of the seven words, or phrases, spoken from the cross by Christ are dissected by the author within the context of the old order, particularly in the Psalms, and of the new order in the Pauline letters. Each examination provides an in-depth analysis of the particular word, the meaning that Jesus wanted to convey, and how his words had been presaged and then used to build the new Christian faith.
Along the way, readers come to understand just how the Man-God revolutionized humanity and created a way of life that calls us to subscribe to what Abraham Lincoln would intone centuries later, “the better angels of our nature.”
Reviewed by James A. Percoco, a nationally recognized history educator with over 35 years of teaching experience.
THE CATHOLIC RUNNER
BY CHRIS EASTERLY
Our Sunday Visitor
Author Chris Easterly becomes your personal trainer—for running and for nurturing your faith. He motivates you through his 30-day devotional, with each entry providing a scriptural reflection and a focus for your daily run. For beginners and seasoned runners, this is a healthy and dynamic way to connect with yourself and God.
CATHOLIC HIPSTER: THE NEXT LEVEL BY TOMMY TIGHE Ave Maria Press
Following his Catholic Hipster Handbook, Tommy Tighe, along with many hip contributors, introduces thought-provoking reflections on topics ranging from Lectio Divina and tattoos to Catholic Twitter and Flannery O’Connor. It features a new batch of cool, overlooked saints and prayers to guide you, as well as novel ways to live your faith.
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