Slideshow image

Two of the most popular dystopian novels published in the 20th century were George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Both imagined a dark future, but for different reasons. In the foreword to his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman contrasts the two futures imagined by Orwell and Huxley:

"What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture . . . . In 1984, . . . people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.”[i]

I have to say I’m sympathetic to Postman’s argument. As I survey the landscape of our media-saturated culture, I believe Huxley, not Orwell, was right. At least here in the West. We don’t have to fear those who would deprive us of information. We are so overwhelmed with information that we no longer know what to believe.

Even in this pandemic, at a time when knowing the truth could be a matter of life and death for some, we are drowning in a sea of irrelevance. For every hot-button issue you can find dozens—if not hundreds—of different perspectives. Whether it’s a tweet, a Facebook post, a blog, a news anchor, or an editorial, you’re guaranteed to find someone somewhere who agrees with you. And just as Aldous Huxley predicted in Brave New World, this sea of information has created a world of passive people who stopped caring and arrogant people who refuse to listen to anyone who disagrees with them.

If anybody looks different, it should be we who call ourselves Christians. We are exiles in a world that is not our home. But the truth is, we too are drowning in a sea of information: conferences, blogs, podcasts, websites, apps, YouTube channels, reading plans, books, studies, lectures, sermons, and more. There’s no question that all these things can be helpful. But like anything good, they can also become dangerous. They become dangerous if we are so overwhelmed by all the different voices that we become passive or egotistical. They become dangerous if we are so reliant on these other voices to tell us what or how to think that we do not allow God to speak to us from His Word.

So here’s my challenge for you this week: allow God’s Word to be the primary voice in your life. Amidst the avalanche of political news and commentary sure to bombard your week, resolve in your heart to allow God’s Word to speak first, speak most, speak loudest, and speak with authority. Soli Deo Gloria!

 

[i] Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, 20th Anniversary Edition (New York: Penguin Books, 2006), xix–xx.