I pulled into a gas station on I-20 west of Fort Worth Tuesday morning.
On the side of the building in the parking lot were a group of men circled up and hashing out the problems of the world.
Great ideas were being deliberated on the tailgate of a Ford F250.
They were working men in boots and jeans with utilitarian knives on their belts, cowboy hats, big beards and calloused hands.
Ranchers, probably, and farmers.
I didn’t overhear their conversation, but I didn’t need to.
This scene is universal.
The younger men putting off work a few more minutes on a cloudy morning by discussing the issues of the day.
They are circled up in the parking lot while the old men sit inside and drink coffee and do the same.
But the old men have no particular timeline for going anywhere as their working days are over.
These social gatherings remind us that some things just cannot be replaced online nor should they be.
A great social media firestorm erupted over the weekend in the comments of a few local Facebook community pages.
A link to a website, alleging near defamatory behavior about a group of local professionals was shared.
And then shared again, and many times after that.
I won’t get into the particulars of the link shared because I believe in ethical journalism.
Alas, social media blather does need not be ethical— much less journalism— to be taken seriously online.
Incendiary comments ensued.
Rhetoric got heated.
The anonymity of Facebook community pages shielded the identity of folks who would otherwise just be dubbed jerks.
Feelings got hurt.
Slander was spewed and I’m sure blood pressures were elevated.
This stuff makes me sick.
It is a cancer on our community and is generally not productive.
I jumped on Facebook again Sunday night to see what folks were cooking for the Super Bowl, but food was not top-of-mind.
Rather people were arguing about halftime shows.
That’s where we are as a civilization— so divided that we require separate halftime shows.
This way we can argue about them anonymously and incessantly online.
This time though, the degree of anonymity surrounding the halftime show conversation was minimal. Folks were owning it.
Maybe that’s what’s most nauseating— seeing folks you know and love minimized to such division.
And for what?
It’s time for a break.
I know I have said this before.
I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to these things.
I resisted joining Facebook for almost a decade after its inception.
I remember consciously thinking it would be an incredible waste of time.
I was right.
I get sick thinking about all the screen time wasted in the years since.
It’s time for a cleanse.
Research shows that taking a break from social media offers significant benefits, including improved mental health, better sleep, increased productivity, stronger real-world connections and a more positive self-image by reducing comparisons to curated online lives.
The science tells that disconnecting frees up time and attention, reduces digital fatigue and helps break compulsive checking habits driven by notifications and dopamine loops.
This can foster greater focus and presence.
Deep down, we all know this.
A friend of mine in Galveston gives up social media every year for lent.
He finds it invigorating and grounding.
He doesn’t delete his accounts altogether, but he removes the apps from his phone and abstains for 40 days.
I am considering taking up my friend’s initiative this year and call upon you to do the same.
The Bible recounts various traditions in which 40 days symbolizes a crucial period of testing, purification, preparation and transformation.
It frequently marks a transition between a time of trial and a new beginning, serving as a complete, often challenging, period for spiritual growth, repentance or divine encounter.
Lent is one such tradition.
It is a 40-day liturgical season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday— preparing Christians for Easter.
It signifies a time of spiritual reflection, repentance and renewal.
This is likened to Christ’s 40 days of fasting in the wilderness to combat temptation.
Essentially, we are called about to give up something for a period of time (40 days) to help focus on inner transformation.
Common Lenten fasts involve abstaining from meat on Fridays.
Other common practices include giving up sugar, alcohol and caffeine.
Lenten fasts can be extended to luxuries like social media, streaming and shopping.
Some folks focus on simpler meals or donating saved money.
Lent is not just for Christians.
Anyone can choose to fast or abstain from habits during this time for personal discipline, health or solidarity.
It is a voluntary practice, and no specific religious affiliation is required to observe it.
For my friend, it is social media he gives up during lent.
Lent begins Feb. 18 this year (Wednesday) and runs through April 2.
Are you up for a challenge? Let’s do it together.
While many focus the lent abstinence on food, perhaps this year we should consider the pollution we put in our body by the means of the mind.
Let’s all take a break. It’s just 40 days.
Let’s all grab a cup of coffee instead of our phones.
Let’s all put off going to work a few more minutes and circle up for some great tailgate conversations and leave the social media blather to the bots.
Source: Freepik.com