I was in the bridesmaids’ room at 4-something pm (PT) on Saturday July 13th, relaxing for a few minutes right before standing in my friend’s wedding ceremony, when another bridesmaid broke the news. It seemed that there had been an attempt on Trump’s life.
Not quite sure of one another’s political convictions, my fellow bridesmaids and I expressed shock but didn’t say anything too controversial. Then a family member of the groom, a wee bit older and less inhibited than the rest of us, walked in and said, “too bad they missed!”
Over the next couple days, the news and my social media feeds were obsessed with reporting and opining on the assassination attempt. It was one of those moments when it feels like everyone’s talking about the same thing. And it’s certainly worth talking about.
But for those of us who are active on social media and perhaps trying to express our views and maybe even do something good in our world through our presence in those spaces, sometimes there can be a feeling of pressure to weigh in.
For me, moments like this help clarify what I do and do not aim to do—through my social media presence, my writing here at this blog, and the writing I do elsewhere online and in print (including my book Nice Churchy Patriarchy).
I do not aim to respond immediately to everything newsworthy that happens in our world. For one thing, the things that are considered newsworthy are highly controlled and influenced by all sorts of sources of money and power.
Is Trump’s ear worth more than the dozens of Palestinian lives that were taken by the Israeli army, around the same time, in a mission supposedly intended to take the life of one Hamas leader? If not, why weigh in on one and not the other?
Every social media hot take raises questions like this. And of course we could be so paralyzed by these questions as to not say anything about anything at all, and that’s not what I’m going for, either.
For me, personally—with only appreciation and no judgment at all toward those who use their writing and social media differently—I aim to write and share things that help build us, slowly, over time, into different kinds of people, and into a different kind of society together.
I hope to write about things that are helping me grow, to write things that others might find useful as they grow, in some really good and healing and peacemaking directions.
And so I find myself writing about experiences I have in natural spaces, engaging with birds and other plants and animals and seeing what I might learn, what we might learn together. I find myself reflecting on books I’ve read and what’s sticking with me about them, how other authors’ perspectives interweave with my own and hopefully make something beautiful together. I find myself writing about slowing down, about resting, about noticing, about unlearning and learning many things on this post-evangelical journey.
I would rather do this kind of thing than provide hot takes on everything people are talking about in a given moment. That feels overwhelming to me, and I only have so much energy. I would rather spend it on the slow path of becoming.
That’s my strength; that’s my personality; that’s what I have to offer. Something thoughtful, hopefully. Something nuanced. Something simultaneously gentle and tough. This kind of thing often takes time to develop and share.
So, while I see the hot takes and immediate responses and the important role these things can play, personally, I’m here for the slow takes. Because I think we need both.
I’m here for the taking a step back, the taking a deep breath—and then maybe another nine or so deep breaths.
I’m here for the questions: How do we grow over time? How do we step more deeply into kinship together? How do we build the kind of world we want to see?
If you are, too, I’m so glad to be on this journey together. And if you know a friend or family member who wants more slow takes in their life, too, would you share this with them?
If you need more…
My friend
wrote this lovely reflection on Dorothy Day, journaling, and finding delight in our world even though many things are also terrible.I appreciated
’s tender reflections on love in the midst of grief at all the forces pulling us apart from one another.Historian
is always a great source of thoughtful reflections on current political events, and she came through once again this week. So if you need something more like a hot take (but in the best way possible), check out her thoughts.If you haven’t had a chance to read Nice Churchy Patriarchy yet, consider acquiring a copy! Since it’s published by a tiny publisher, your local library might not necessarily carry it (unless you’re in Seattle or King County, in which case they definitely do), but you can usually put in a request for them to buy a copy, which I would totally love because I love libraries.
Yes 🙌
I’m here for the slow takes! I find this very permission-giving. Thank you!