The World Doesn't Need More Words

Flipping through the channels this weekend, I skimmed across an interview where the interviewee made the following statement: “we are drowning in words, while starving for wisdom.” I kept channel surfing, but the statement stuck. It wouldn’t leave my head. I slept, woke up, worked, played with my kids, kissed my wife, and it was still there. I have learned that in these moments, when something won’t leave my brain that was so random, God is trying to tell me something….

Never has the human race been so bombarded with so much information. That device in your hand that is in the generic category of “phone” is so much more. We are literally connected with the Internet of Things with something that fits in the palm of our hands. Recently, technology has been developed that will connect not only our phones, but the seemingly innocuous things in our homes that we didn’t think could actually connect to the web. All in the race for more data. More things connected. And more things to read.

Colleges have consistently seen an increase in laptops and electronic devices in the classroom. Some colleges have even given these devices away to new students, touting efficiency, improvement in learning, “hi-tech” and “cutting edge”. Yet research continues to show that hand writing your notesis better for cognitive memory (i.e. you will remember what you write better than what you type…) And yet we still type….

We post. We read.

We tweet. We read. 

We tag. We read. 

Do I have a question? I type and read.

I am waiting. I read.

How many read what I posted? Why do I care?

I ask my circle what they think of a decision I need to make, even if those in my circle have never been to my house. But we read what they think. 

And then that phrase comes back to me: “we are drowning in words, starving for wisdom.”

The world doesn’t need more words. It needs more wisdom. It needs people who can make decisions based on not only knowledge, but experience. 

But experience is hard. It requires putting our phones down. Closing our laptops. Getting our hands dirty. Listening to our spouse. Engaging our children. Concentrating. Experience is not about me; it’s about them. But that is what the world needs. 

The world does not need more people reading. It needs more people doing. 

What are you going to do today? 

What are you experienced in? 

What do you want to master? Why have you not mastered it already?

Do more. Post less. Turn your phone off. Write with a pencil. Talk to a stranger. Invite a friend over. Get sweaty. Go to bed exhausted, but satisfied. 

The world doesn’t need more words.