The Overwhelming Impact of Global Grief: Embracing a Localized Emotional Economy
As a pastor, my role is to support people through the challenging seasons of life. Sickness, death, and life's difficulties are burdens that clergy members carry. However, since the outbreak of COVID-19, I have found myself overwhelmed and unable to hear one more tragic story from my congregation. The constant grief and loss have left me exhausted. It seems that people are falling ill and passing away at alarming rates, and terminal diseases are affecting individuals worldwide. It's interesting to note that terminal conditions are an inevitable fate for all human beings. I've always known this, and I've made peace with it since Jesus saved me. But despite not personally experiencing significant loss within my church or social circles, I find myself drained and fatigued. Why is that? The answer is simple: I've been inundated by the loss and grief experienced by countless people around the world.
In today's digital age, social media and instant news expose us to an overwhelming amount of sorrow and tragedy. We are bombarded with more loss than any one person should bear in a lifetime, let alone in a single session of scrolling through our feeds. This constant exposure leaves us either desensitized or overwhelmed by grief before it even reaches our personal lives. We become numb to the news of a grandmother's passing because we've already mourned the deaths of several grandmothers before we've even gotten out of bed in the morning.
On a different note, I am currently just five months away from completing my doctorate, a goal I've pursued ever since I discovered that one can become a doctor without practicing medicine. My research focuses on hospitality, particularly within the local church. As part of my study, I interviewed a colleague who recently graduated from the same program. His research centered around helping the church embrace technology and digital spaces as effective means of ministry. He drew inspiration from Martin Luther, the historical figure who ignited the greatest institutional reform in history by nailing his 95 theses to the door of his Catholic parish. Luther's revolution was fueled by the advent of technology: the printing press. Suddenly, the Scriptures were available in the language of the people, a scandalous concept at the time. When faced with criticism that it would lead to heresy, Luther boldly declared, "So be it." Today, reading the Scriptures and Christian literature in our own language is a fundamental part of Christian life. In just 500 years, the printed book has transformed from something seen as dangerous to something indispensable.
Similarly, social media and instant news are the printed books of our time. According to a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center, approximately 72% percent of adults in the US use social media platforms regularly. While many in the church may view these platforms as insidious, they are here to stay and have already revolutionized various aspects of local church ministry and community life. However, it is essential to acknowledge the pitfalls that come with these platforms. For example, one study found that young adults who use social media more frequently are more likely to experience symptoms of depression. Just as the printed Bible led to the splintering of the church and the development of numerous denominations and heresies, social media has also had a profound impact on our emotional health and how we experience the world. Grief used to be a local and communal experience, shared by families and community members directly affected. Of course, major events would have a broader impact, but they were the exception rather than the norm. Today, we are constantly bombarded with loss and tragedy that is far removed from our personal contexts. We are expending an excessive amount of emotional energy, leaving very little capacity to process our own grief.
I believe that the solution to this problem lies in adopting a more localized emotional economy. Just as some individuals choose to support local businesses by spending their money within their neighborhoods, we can choose to spend our emotional energy on the grief and difficulties experienced by those closest to us - our families, friends, and church communities. Rather than carrying the weight of the world's grief, let us focus on the grief we are responsible for in our immediate surroundings. It has been said that humanity is burdened by attempting to assume the role of deity. Carrying the weight of the world's grief is a divine endeavor that is crushing us. God has placed us where we are, in this specific time and context, to engage with our immediate surroundings. By embracing a more localized economy of grief and shifting away from the global economy offered by the internet, I believe we will experience greater emotional health and capacity.
