Media influence in twenty-first century America is ubiquitous. Everywhere you turn somebody’s opinion is blaring in your face.
People’s opinions are expressed through music and books, art and movies. Opinions are certainly expressed in an internet news feed or any form of “talk” show on television, radio, print, or even from a lowly columnist.
Most of us don’t dig deeper than the sound bite that we’re spoon-fed. We see a headline and run with it. We form our opinions from someone else’s great sounding opinion.
The Apostle Paul said to his protégé, Timothy, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what they’re itching ears want to hear.” Oh wowzah, has that time come?
Mark Twain said, “it’s easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they have been fooled.” It seems that we should be careful believing what “they” say. Because “they” can be wrong, lied to, misled, misinformed, manipulated, or all manner of cajoled, and pass that junk along to anyone who will listen.
I’ve been reading a book about extremism in religion and politics. It’s sort of an exercise in torture for this political and social moderate. When I grew up, there were about four topics which we were counseled never to bring up in polite conversation: religion, politics, money, and sex.
Why were these topics taboo? Because they’re divisive. People tend to take up extreme views on these topics and attitudes become heightened. Middle ground disappears into the abyss and people dig in their heels.
Our culture is effectively evenly divided in our social, religious, political, sexual, and fiscal opinions. And the two groups who are so evenly divided, are influenced by a few, loud for their numbers, extremists on their side of the table.
It’s quite possible, I think, that many people rely on leaders and influencers to do the heavy lifting of discernment on their behalf. The Word of God is said to “discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
I don’t know if there has ever been a time when we’ve needed wisdom and discernment, more than now. Personal “Enlightenment” is needed, please. But how do you cultivate, or develop, or otherwise get discernment?
Discernment is the skill to make clear distinctions between such fine lines as truth, knowledge, understanding, facts, and similar information. To sense what lies behind someone’s words and actions, as well as to see beyond the obvious, is a big part of the ability to discern.
There is truth and error; right and wrong, but discernment helps one to sift out all the stuff in between those polarities. For example, many people lie from time to time, some people more often than others. But a person of discernment, tries to discover where the lies are coming from; what’s hidden in the depths?
Like trying to acquire something valuable, it takes time and patience to cultivate discernment. It’s no quick fix.
However, in a culture where immediacy is normative, waiting for a virtue to develop is anathema to the acquisition of it. I’m reminded of a scene in a movie where a sassy female character is elicited to say “please” like you do with a young child in training, as in “what do you say,” but she didn’t say “please,” she said “now.”
You can’t get discernment without waiting for it. Discernment is like stew; to get it right, you can’t hurry it. It has to simmer.
Discernment comes, maybe not so much with age, but experience. You have to go through some stuff to gain experience.
Discernment might be a gift, as it is mentioned in Scripture, but it doesn’t seem to be given without some prerequisites. And the prerequisites aren’t fluff. We’re talking Introduction to Aeronautical Engineering, versus The Relevance of John Wayne Movies.
Can one even learn to discern? I don’t know, but I think it’s quite possible that discernment is a gift, much like a singing voice, a sports talent, or cooking gene. These talents and gifts can be cultivated, but I just don’t know if they can be learned, from scratch, so to speak.
If these hunches are remotely true, we should all be praying for people with the gift of discernment, the gift of wisdom and impeccable judgment, to rise up into positions of leadership in America. We need unity to complement our diversity. We need intellectually sober, reason-based thinking instead of “follow-the-leader” banality.
We need peace instead of the incitement of civil war. Saint Paul said to the Romans, “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” As far as it depends on you reminds me of “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything but I can do something,” spoken wisely by Edward Hale.
We may not all have the gift of discernment or wisdom. However, especially in these tumultuous times, who of us cannot pray?