Words: 447
Time to read: 2 minutes
The human condition has always been one that has sought peace and satisfaction in life. The great lament of our current generation is that we are seeking to find meaning and purpose in things that are have planned obsolescence intrinsically built into them.
Social media. Technology. Drugs. Clothing. Decadence. You always have to up the ante to have a better experience. The dopaminergic hits have to be heavier and more impactful. The effect is cyclical with diminishing returns. The higher the euphoria this time next time has to exceed it, even if ever so slightly. Remember when Black Friday was the thing? Not so much anymore. The high wore off. Remember the first time you logged onto the internet? You could look up anything. You could communicate with anyone via email. The world was at your fingertips. Now? A 15-second video on TikTok is the only way to keep our fleeting attention.
And we fall into the scrolling trap for hour after hour, day after day. Expecting to be impressed. All the while we are numbing ourselves to the reality of human connection and the ability for us to make a difference right here and right now. Unless you’re viral, we’re told, your virtual presence is basically nonexistent. Essentially, you don’t even matter. The influencers, brands, and marketers make sure of that.
But we’ve got it all wrong. None of the social media crazes are going to matter in another 10 years, nothing to say of another century. The viral creators of 5 years ago are hardly even memorable. They’ve been surpassed by a new craze, a new generation of content. And we’re just as dissatisfied and discontented as ever, even more so.
The eternal things that we are commanded to focus on are quite the opposite of all this. There is no high dopamine cycle. There is not even a guarantee that it will work out. It’s not flashy. It’s not viral. It’s walking with Christ each and every day. It’s ignoring the lure of this self-important noise that constantly bombards us. It’s keep our eyes on that which will not and cannot fade away. The hope of glory. The allure of the present age will only become more intense. The social norms will only continue to tend to denigrate the value of delayed gratification. In such a world the purposed heart concentrating on the person and work of Christ and its glorious hope is not merely a stalwart testimony of God’s grace but a quasi-superpower of self-control. Your satisfaction and contentment can only be found in valuing the eternal and allowing its future prospect to fully impact the here and now, rather than the inverse.