When someone builds a platform on outrage they must…

“When someone builds a platform on outrage they must continually be outraged and cause outrage to stay relevant. Turn off the outrage. Refuse to be outraged.”

@jowiki from Twitter.

Ok…depending on where you’re coming from this probably needs some context. 😅

I don’t think Pastor Josh is trying to say there’s never a time for outrage. If I’m reading this correctly, I feel like this is a call to evaluate the sources we get our information from.

I know personally I’ve gone through periods where my primary source of “news” (really it was entertainment but I called it news) was a machine that flourished from the outrage of the day. It wasn’t a fair evaluation or a stoic reporting of the news, it was a device that engaged my anger and promised to continue engaging my anger. I didn’t like the changes I saw in myself. I become suspect of “the other side.” I saw myself as a hero of sorts because I was so well informed and my thoughts were more highly refined. I reveled in ideals like liberty and fairness while putting things like empathy and nuance to the side. If you think I’m speaking about a particular side I assure you, there’s an outrage machine for every side.

It not a place I like to operate from. It’s not a place of listening or compassion. When you’re outraged, it’s hard to consider the really difficult stories that need to be heard. I like to think people are simple are logical in their thinking but *frustratingly* nothing could be further from the truth.

There’s definitely a time for outrage. But when I find myself constantly outraged at everything; maybe it’s time to turn off whatever is causing the outrage so I can discover if I’m being played. Because there are forces out there that are looking to play us.

Note: I didn’t post the process video for this one; see if you can figure out why. 😉