Consume to Produce
Why we must put what we learn into practice
The thoughts here were originally taken down as a note verbally transcribed on Kyle’s iPhone one evening in December 2019 about 6 months before starting socratic Hobbits. As one of the attributes of podcasting I value is the opportunity to produce something out of the content Daniel and I have consumed, it seemed fitting to post this here.
I find myself convicted due to my habitual practice of consuming content for “learning” without actually putting that knowledge into practice. A consequence of this behavior is that the knowledge I felt I was gaining is lost. More crucially, the time I invested in the activity of consuming that content is lost as well, with no return and nothing to show for it.
I am not discussing entertainment here. That is an entirely separate topic which Neil Postman covered in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death. Or if you prefer, in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.
No, here I am concerned with the consumption of content that is deemed educational, helpful, and even intended to teach us how to be more productive. Yet, due to a lack of practice it evaporates into ether, leaving behind little learning and no enhancement of productivity. It is an illusion of usefulness that is essentially delusion.
As we find in studying Proverbs, wisdom is inherently practical. Therefore, we must be putting the knowledge we learn into practice if we are to gain wisdom. Without this discipline we will have nothing to show for our time but a pile of books we read, (or in this day and age) our internet search history with its trove of links to posts that caught our attention.
This is a shame since the time that went into reading those posts and the energy spent reacting to them could have been applied to solving problems people face daily. Perhaps even solving the very problem someone described in a post we just read.
Beyond this pragmatic concern, the greater tragedy of wasted time is that time is a gift. And a gift used poorly shows an ungrateful spirit towards the giver. In this case, the Giver of time is God, and a direct way of honoring and glorifying Him is to use His gifts well.
If you are reading this, consider the talents you have been given and the problems that you could address with them. Or the problems you would like to see solved, and the steps you can take to assist in their resolution. Consider how you will use your gifts well.
I will endeavor to do the same, and by the grace of God, we will hack down the thorns and thistles of the Fall. One. Active. Stroke. At a time. Each stroke followed consistently, by others like it.
Further up, and further in.