Posts Tagged: the information age

“Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence”

On January 9, 2021 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

DTEB, “Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence”

In a wonderful book that I need to reread, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen R. Covey identifies two circles: the circle of concern and the circle of influence. The circle of concern refers to everything that we care about. Many of them are huge and important.  He includes such things as the national debt and the dangers of nuclear war. The circle of influence refers to areas in our lives in which we might be able to do something positive.

Covey goes on to say that the problem is that too many of us operate—or try to operate—directly in our circle of concern. But, since these concerns are not within our sphere of influence, we simply spin our wheels and don’t get anywhere. In fact, such a preoccupation with those things that concern us actually causes our circle of influence to contract. We become less and less able to change anything that concerns us.

Now, I think that it is safe to say that a lot of us right now are concerned with a lot of different things. This may be the greatest understatement that I have ever made in my life. Think about it: COVID-19, economic havoc, racial injustice, political instability—and that’s just today’s headlines. There are plenty of other things that concern us. And these things should concern us!

However, if we spend too much time on these things, thinking about them, worrying about them, talking about them, we simply dimmish our ability to do anything about them. Our circle of influence contracts.

For those of us who are praying people, even “praying about” our problems and concerns can be a euphemism for worry. I am reminded of an old Christian hymn that counsels us to “Take your burdens to the Lord.” But the hymn lyrics don’t stop there. The lyrics say, “Take your burdens to the Lord, and leave them there.” Even those of us who claim to be believers are prone to taking our burdens to the Lord, and then picking them right back up. That is why so many of us are bent over before we’re forty years old.

The circle of influence refers to areas where we can make a positive difference. These are areas where we are more or less in charge. Let me give a simple example. I can’t do anything directly about COVID-19. It is something that concerns me for sure. And it should! But I am not a medical person or a scientist. (I got straight Ds in chemistry, and the only reason I didn’t get Fs was that the teacher liked me and knew that I was a good student in my other classes.)

But what I can do is wear a mask and practice social distancing. I can wash my hands. I can take the vaccination when I get the chance. These actions are within my sphere of influence.

In the case of this pandemic and in a multitude of other concerns, the best question I can ask at any given moment is this: “What can I do right now to stay within my circle of influence to make a positive difference in this concern of mine?”

One of the many ways in which we get way out of our sphere of influence and into an illegitimate preoccupation with what concerns is our consumption of information. This has been called “The Information Age.” I’m not so sure that it shouldn’t be called “The Misinformation Age.” But no matter what you call it, it is largely a snare and a delusion. Even if the information is good and true (and much of it is not), does it really help us to change things? In most cases, I suspect that all the information we consume is junk food. A thing is believed simply because our friends affirm it on Facebook.

But even consuming good, nutritious information can cause our circle of influence to contract. For example, I have been listening to National Public Radio a lot of late. I had to resist the urge to stream NPR live this morning, before I had done my devotions, read my Scriptures, written and posted this post, taken the dog outside, or written my gratitude list. (Of course, I had already had some coffee. First things first!)

Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with National Public Radio. I think that NPR tries to be balanced and to go into depth in its reporting. Do they always get it right? Of course not! But I think they actually try to get at the truth. However, there comes a point when I have consumed all the news that I can handle. Anything more, and I am out of my sphere of influence.

In a deep sense, the Serenity Prayer is precisely what we need at this moment. If I, if we, are to stay in our circle of influence, we need to pray it many times each day. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

There’s a longer version of the prayer that I like even better. It goes like this:

“God grant me the Serenity

To accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And the Wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time.

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as he did, this sinful world as it is,

Not as I would like it.

Trusting that he will make all things right,

If I surrender to his will.

That I may be reasonably happy in this world

And supremely happy in the next.” (Reinhold Niebuhr, Theologian)

So, may you have a serene, courageous, and wise day! And may you operate in your circle of influence today!

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“THE (MIS)INFORMATION AGE?”

On August 26, 2018 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I’ve tried to enter the twenty-first century.  I really have.  I have learned how to turn on a computer, and even use it a bit.  I don’t very often look up words in my print dictionary.  (Where is that dusty old thing, anyway?)  Instead, I google words.  I have a Face Book account, and occasionally look at it, though I’m not really sure how it works.  I like to find out about little-known authors, musicians, and philosophers by reading what Wikipedia has to say about them.  I even use the computer for research and teaching.  So, I am not a total luddite when it comes to the internet.

However, I wonder sometimes about this time in which I live, this “Information Age.”  Sometimes I wonder.

I encountered a man the other day, who was making a bunch of really bizarre claims, all of which he had found (I think) on the internet.  It sometimes feels to me as if we live in the “Misinformation Age.”

But I have an even deeper misgiving:  What if we’re drowning in information, even as we are dying of thirst for wisdom?

What is the difference?  Aren’t information and wisdom the same?

I think not!  I’ve known people who were cornucopias of information who were about as wise as a bucket of rocks.  Who knows: The rocks may even have been wiser than them.  By the same token, I’ve known people who were wise, but had very little information.

Wisdom has been defined in many ways.  My current working definition is this: Wisdom is the consistent determination to decide what really matters, and to live out consistently what really matters.

I encounter a lot of people these days with lots of information, but very few who are living wisely.

Now, don’t misunderstand.  Information can be very helpful.  Whether you are cooking a meal or doing brain surgery, information has its place.  Whether you are cooking me a meal or operating on my brain, I will be much happier if you know what you are doing.

But even in those areas, mere information isn’t enough.  Wise decisions can’t always be made apart from good information, but good information doesn’t necessarily lead to wise decisions.  An informed cook or a skillful brain surgeon needs to be wise in deciding whether a rich dessert or tricky brain surgery is really the best way to go.

So, how do we acquire or deepen our wisdom in the information age?  I don’t know, but I have some suspicions.

The first order of business is to become dissatisfied with mere information.  Questions must be asked.  Is this information relevant?  How important is it, really?  Is this information accurate?  How do I know it is accurate?  (The current philosophy seems to be that, if I heard it on my favorite network or internet source, it must be true, and everything else is “fake news.)

The second thing I would suggest for anyone seeking wisdom is to slow down.  Information moves fast.  Wisdom does not.  Let information pass you by.  Don’t worry!  It may well be obsolete soon anyway.  In fact, it may have always been obsolete.

Third, take the long view of things.  Information shouts, “Now!”  Wisdom whispers, “Now.”  These are very different “nows.”

 

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