I Skimmed It

I volunteer in a pregnancy center, which--like most medical establishments--handles a lot of paperwork. One of the very first things I ask clients is whether they had a chance to read and sign the liability release.

The release includes information such as "we report cases of rape to authorities" and "you should consult your primary physician regarding major medical decisions," written in elaborate legalize and taking up half a page in very small font.  It's a lot to get through, I know. So it's not surprising most women tell me:

"Well, I skimmed it."

All of us do it. When we're downloading software, we skim the licensing agreement before checking the "accept" box and moving on. We skim our Facebook newsfeed for information about people we're stalking--ignoring ads, game requests, etc.

In the store, we "browse."
Using the radio, we "seek."
With TV and the web, we "surf."

We've gotten adept at receiving, judging, and discarding information in a matter of seconds. Considering all the forms, contracts, and status updates thrown at us, this isn't always bad. It's a survival mechanism.

But I wonder, amidst all that skimming, when was the last time you really digested something?

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 We've heard warning of society's waning attention span, and more than one writer has explored the topic. (After all, the writer's product suffers most when audiences prefer images and bumper-stickers rather than tackling a bulky article.)  I, too, worry that people will ignore what I have to say because I rarely express myself in 200 characters or less.

But--putting aside that bias as much as possible--the subject is dear to my heart because I strongly believe Truth requires studying...  consideration... meditation...  And, to find a piece of truth, we must slow down and think about what we're reading or hearing for more than a second!

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In a post about the time Joy Behar refused to let Joel Osteen defend his stance against homosexuality, I suggested she simply didn't have the time to go back-and-forth in a fair manner. When we discuss things with friends, we can listen better than someone trying to entertain viewers with a half-hour show. I said: "[Finding] truth may require extra digging and can't be rushed...truth isn't sound-bite friendly....it doesn't fit nicely between commercial breaks."

It'd be great if we could make all of our points with a single, clever line; but this doesn't always work.

For this reason, I get frustrated with those digital posters being shared like crazy on Pinterest and Facebook. You know, the ones intended to be inspirational? (Although I'd bet many creators spend more time picking fonts and backgrounds than considering the message of the quote...) Occasionally, these "sound bites" of wisdom do offer good advice. But, if we stopped to unpack them--maybe wrote a responsive essay, using plain old Times New Roman--we might find they aren't wise at all.

Here are some examples:

I'm not going to write the responsive critique I mentioned above. I only want to say: be wary when trying to summarize truth in a sentence. Jesus didn't say, "You'll find me if you search for 'quotes' on Google."   :)

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Full disclosure:  the inspiration for this particular post comes from suggestions from several readers (including my husband) that I make future posts shorter. But I don't mean to sound like I'm angry at those who don't want to climb through my wordiness. Anyone who gets worn out trying to follow my thought processes has every right to stop reading. That's perfectly okay, really!  (Unlike those people who keep reading and reading, then complain to me about how offensive I am. To them, I wrote the post "If You Don't Like My Teaching...") 

But, I'm encouraging everyone to read something challenging each day--on this blog or another site--and practice critical thinking as often as possible. Consider the thing you read, whether it's 10 words or 10,000, And find a way to learn something from it.

My long blogs result directly from my learning process, and it takes me awhile to unpack the truth (or the lie) of a particular topic. I like to think of problems from every angle. I compare and contrast. I write to get all the nagging, swarming thoughts out of my head, coming from the reading I do. And I totally understand if you don't want to read those thoughts when they ramble.

But, please, take some time to work through the things you see each day...

If we resort to skimming everything, never reading...unpacking...chewing...we risk settling for the bumper-sticker version of truth.