Take a Breath

It’s no secret that we live in a fast-paced society.

Hungry? Cooking at home takes too long, so just eat out. Only, restaurants take too long, so go ahead and get fast food (which somehow never seems to be fast enough).

Bored? Go ahead and put on a TV show or a movie. You can watch whatever you want—instantly—anything, anytime. Just choose any one of the 50+ streaming services available in the U.S.

Need to buy something? Don’t you dare think about getting in the car to run to Walmart. Just click a few magical buttons on Amazon, and it’ll show up on your doorstep a day or two later.

Let’s return to the subject of food, shall we? Don’t want to cook, warm up leftovers, or eat out? Just pull out your phone, and your friendly neighborhood DoorDash or Uber Eats driver will deliver your extremely overpriced dinner straight to your door faster than you can say, “Dave Ramsey would be so disappointed in me right now.”

The 24/7 News Cycle

But nowhere is this fast-paced mentality more evident than in our modern 24/7 news cycle. What used to be a limited number of sources that people would intentionally and occasionally go to for their news is now a deluge of information coming at you via TV, your phone, social media, podcasts, and a myriad of other news outlets. No longer do you have to wait for the next day’s newspaper to arrive on your doorstep or for the evening national news at 6 PM; you can summon all the latest local, national, and global news you could ever want in an instant, beamed directly into your bloodshot eyeballs as you lie in bed at 1 AM. (An excellent method to get some quality rest, I’m sure...)

We understand that whenever a newsworthy story breaks, the basic facts are presented to give the people an understanding of what has happened or is happening. The who, what, when, and where are all spelled out as much as possible so that people can be informed about the news that impacts them and/or their community. But this initial reporting of the news is simply the calm before the storm.

The Noise That Follows

What follows is a firestorm of activity, primarily in the online world. Within seconds of the initial facts being reported, people are breathlessly beginning to give their hot takes, their insights, their perspectives, their assumptions, and their suspicions. Never mind that it happened less than 24 hours ago. Never mind that the investigation is just now beginning. Never mind that they weren’t there. Never mind that they’re not experts or even remotely knowledgeable about the subject. Never mind that they only have access to a very small sliver of the whole story. No, none of that matters. What matters is that they are upset, angered, hurt, confused—you fill in the blank—and they have an opinion. And because we live in the digital age, they have a platform they can use. And use it they will.

It’s important to note that most of the “noise” and chaos of the online world is not from the news itself, but rather from the massive response to the news by influencers, pundits, and Aunt Martha, who is terrified about the latest conspiracy theory she’s fallen for.

Sound familiar? We’ve all been guilty of it to varying degrees and have witnessed it in others. So what do we do?

Take a Breath

Take. A. Breath.

Seriously—right now—take an actual breath. You know the drill: in through the nose, out through the mouth. Again, altogether now: in through the nose, out through the mouth. It feels good to take a deep, intentional breath, doesn’t it? It forces you to slow down, think, and consciously take control of what is otherwise a built-in, autonomic function of the body.

In reality, though, taking a physical breath is not so much about the breath as it is about the pause we are forced to take when we take it. So, when I suggest that you take a breath, I’m suggesting that you force yourself to pause in the moment. In other words, the act of “taking a breath” may not involve a literal breath at all. You choose what your “taking a breath” is. Maybe it’s logging out of social media for the day. Maybe it’s going outside for a walk. Maybe it’s spending some time in prayer or in God’s Word. Regardless, the point is to give yourself some space for your mind to catch up with your emotions. When you are bombarded with the latest news and are tempted to react too quickly, whether outwardly on social media or inwardly in your spirit, take a breath. Pause. Think. Consider.

In his book, The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More, attorney and world-class communicator Jefferson Fisher gives this suggestion when deciding how to respond:

“Let your breath be the first word.” -Jefferson Fisher

Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and Holocaust survivor, put it this way:

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” -Viktor E. Frankl

Before you post that comment, take a breath.

Before you share that article, take a breath.

Before you give your opinion, take a breath.

Before you draw conclusions, take a breath.

Before you allow your spirit to be consumed by fear, anger, or pride, take a breath.

The Heart of the Issue

If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve all been guilty of not taking a breath when we should have. After all, there’s something about quickly giving our take on a current event that makes us feel good. It can make us feel virtuous to quickly denounce a perceived or real injustice or to hop on the proverbial bandwagon with others who are giving their hot takes without knowing all of the facts. Such actions, though, are foolish and very often lead to our shame.

“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Proverbs 18:13

“Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” Proverbs 29:20

In his book, Heart and Scroll, Pastor Martin Wickens writes:

“The fool speaks with all his mind and speaks quickly. He does not possess a filter. He thinks it, and so he says it.” -Martin Wickens

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that you should wait six months before publicly giving your opinion about a current event. I’m not even saying that you have to wait any set length of time. The point is to slow down, pause, think, and breathe.

Be Prepared

Now, get ready. Even now, as you’re reading these words, something is happening that will be deemed newsworthy. I dare say that even before the day is through, you and I both will read, watch, or hear some news that will stir our emotions. The temptation might be strong to react prematurely, whether publicly or inwardly in our spirit. No matter what it is, ask God to guide your thoughts, emotions, and words. And then, take a breath.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” James 1:19

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:5

True and Faithful is a weekly blog by Andrew Beadles. Subscribe to receive new posts.