I have been thinking lately about our conversations, what we talk about. I participate in a lot of conversations, of course, and hear many others. Here is what concerns me.
What do we talk about? Now, I do not mean the usual "we should talk about Jesus" cliche sermon, I am serious. What do we discuss. It varies in places around the country, but I think my general observations are probably pretty accurate everywhere.
We talk a lot about football. Where I live, the American South, football is the largest topic of male conversation. We meet and talk about football. It's kind of amazing, to be honest. We talk about the last game and the next game. We talk about future games and past games. We discuss counterfactuals (what if x had happened instead of y). We even discuss high school players who might become college players and wonder how they will do as professional players. We talk a lot of football. By the way, women talk football as well down here (very different from Washington state, by the way, where women never talked football).
We talk about baseball and basketball as well. We talk about coaches and we talk about offensive systems. We discuss possible trades or changes. We talk a lot about sports. We talk about sewing and television shows and movies and music. None of these things have any eternal value at all.
We talk about politics. There is a presidential election next year and we talk about possible nominees, even though there are no votes for at least two months and no local vote for four months. Four months. We do not even know who will be on the ballot by that date.
We talk about local politics and gossip. We talk about celebrities and gossip. We talk and talk and talk. We talk some about our children and families, of course, but this is really just about their trivialities - sports, band, etc.
I am not here to tell people to stop talking about such things, but they do worry me. Why? Because they are so trivial. All my concern about this year's football team is meaningless two months from now. All these things are, by definition, trivial. Or, to put it in Biblical terms, they are vanity.
I wonder what people talked about in the mid-1800's. When you sat down to dinner, what did you discuss? I remember reading, once, that the Reformation came to Scotland not through preachers, but through sailors, who brought the ideas from the continent of Europe. As they sat around bars, they talked about the things of the Reformation.
Now, we cannot imagine anyone talking about theology around a bar with sailors. They would be hard to hear over the televisions and music.
We have, in short, lost something. We talk about (and think about) trivialities. What would our forebears think of us?
What do we talk about? Now, I do not mean the usual "we should talk about Jesus" cliche sermon, I am serious. What do we discuss. It varies in places around the country, but I think my general observations are probably pretty accurate everywhere.
We talk a lot about football. Where I live, the American South, football is the largest topic of male conversation. We meet and talk about football. It's kind of amazing, to be honest. We talk about the last game and the next game. We talk about future games and past games. We discuss counterfactuals (what if x had happened instead of y). We even discuss high school players who might become college players and wonder how they will do as professional players. We talk a lot of football. By the way, women talk football as well down here (very different from Washington state, by the way, where women never talked football).
We talk about baseball and basketball as well. We talk about coaches and we talk about offensive systems. We discuss possible trades or changes. We talk a lot about sports. We talk about sewing and television shows and movies and music. None of these things have any eternal value at all.
We talk about politics. There is a presidential election next year and we talk about possible nominees, even though there are no votes for at least two months and no local vote for four months. Four months. We do not even know who will be on the ballot by that date.
We talk about local politics and gossip. We talk about celebrities and gossip. We talk and talk and talk. We talk some about our children and families, of course, but this is really just about their trivialities - sports, band, etc.
I am not here to tell people to stop talking about such things, but they do worry me. Why? Because they are so trivial. All my concern about this year's football team is meaningless two months from now. All these things are, by definition, trivial. Or, to put it in Biblical terms, they are vanity.
I wonder what people talked about in the mid-1800's. When you sat down to dinner, what did you discuss? I remember reading, once, that the Reformation came to Scotland not through preachers, but through sailors, who brought the ideas from the continent of Europe. As they sat around bars, they talked about the things of the Reformation.
Now, we cannot imagine anyone talking about theology around a bar with sailors. They would be hard to hear over the televisions and music.
We have, in short, lost something. We talk about (and think about) trivialities. What would our forebears think of us?