Know Less. Say less.

Anti-action action.

Writer’s block is a phenomenon that basically anyone publishing anything will encounter. I myself have been feling that lately. I mustered up enough energy to write a piece reflecting on the experience of death, but besides that have struggled to put pen to paper (or text to screen?) Upon further consideration, though, this may not be a bad thing. In fact, I think this is a learning experience.

The internet, far from being dead, is all-too-alive. It is bloated, filled to the brim with garbage and refuse. There are hundreds of millions of people online, most of whom ought not to be. The world, indeed, would be a better place if we had a much smaller, more exclusive internet. Alas, this is not the case, and every day more people go online. They post, they like, they share, they comment, they subscribe, they consume.

Far from wanting us to be silent, modernity wants us to speak. Constantly. “Shout your abortion” and “speak truth to power” I have heard. Of course, some views are silenced, but more often than not you are encouraged to leave your comment, share you opinion, and give your feedback more than you are told to be silent.

Everyone knows about the 24/7 news cycle by now and just how inundated with information we moderns are. I believe many of our mental and psychological issues stem from information overload. Our minds simply cannot process the amount of data we are daily presented with. Moreover, much of the information we see is hazardous. It is harmful not only to our minds, but to our souls. We have all come across some information, online or off, that we wish we hadn’t.

Anyone who is really active on this platform (Substack) can see just how many posts are written every single day. News, essays, podcasts, notes. Everything from academic quality research to schizophrenic rants. If you can think it, someone else has probably said it and posted it, whether it be here or somewhere else, like X.

Speaking of X, I deleted my account recently. Besides spending far too much time on it, I increasingly felt that I had little to nothing to say. What could I add to what was already being said? There was not much “new” information I could provide, nor did I feel I could add any commentary to the information I came across. Certainly, any commentary I did provide would be read by almost no one. Besides, I never really wanted to be a commentator. I am a writer, first and foremost. I enjoy engaging in conversation with others, certainly, but I did not find X to be particularly conducive to that end.

Plus, X is, like most of the internet, full of filth. Bots, Indian-run grift accounts, infuencers, talking heads, etc. Unfortunately many accounts that were once considered to be leaders in the online Right are basically just slop accounts now that provide nothing of value anymore. The dissident right is dead, in my opinion. It’s lost nearly all of the vitality and freshness it once had. It bores me.

Where does that leave us? I can tell you where it has left me.

First, it has left me wanting to know less. Do I really need to spend so much time passively or actively taking in loads of information about who said what, what happened where, or which thing is on the menu for discussion today? What do I truly gain by all this? “Oh but you stay informed!” To what end? What do I profit by knowing what Richard Bananania said today, or whoever else (I use him because I don’t like him). What do I profit by seeing some 400k follower slop account post a ragebait video about “The West has fallen” for the billionth time? Hardly anything. In fact, I probably become dumber and my valuable mind-space is filled with trash.

Does this mean I should stop learning? No. When I say “know less” I suppose you could get pendantic and say “well you just mean you want to be more selective about the information you take in.” And to that I say, yeah you’re right but also shut up.

More seriously, yes, I think it is good to seek wisdom and understanding. I want to become wise, knowledgeable, learned, etc. However, in order to do this, I actually have to pursue wisdom. I also have to discern what will lead me to wisdom and understanding and what will lead me to have a dull, overloaded mind full of slop. Imagine if we spent our time reading rather than scrolling. Yes, I know, very unique thought. But really, imagine it. I could probably add an hour or more to my day easily if I just read a book instead of social media on my phone. I bet you could too. We could stand to learn more about our local community, our natural environment, or the history of where we live. We can also never come close to exhausting the well of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Rather than reading the latest book by [insert “Thought Leader”] we could read a book of the Bible, or something published by one of the saints.

Second, I have come to the conclusion that I can and should say less. I was amused the other day when I saw a post complaining of people complaining of slop. It’s true, but it’s also deeply ironic: we now have meta-analysis of anti-slop content. In other words: second hand slop!

The only way we fix this problem is by shutting up. Post less. Write less. Comment less. Speak less. Put less on the internet. Everyone who reacts to slop is feeding the slop, because slop doesn’t care how you interact with it. Hate comments are just as valuable, if not more valuable, than genuine comments. A reaction is a reaction, whether positive or negative.

The whole world doesn’t need to know my thoughts on the latest foolishness making the rounds online. It doesn’t need my reaction to the viral video. It doesn’t need my commentary on the Big Event of the Week, nor does it need my poorly thought out analysis of a subject I am woefully uninformed about.

I’m not saying that no one contributes anything of value. I was contemplating shutting down this blog until I had more than a few people tell me I shouldn’t. It is still very odd to me that there are others who not only read what I write, but enjoy it and get something out of it. I am truly humbled by this. But it makes sense. I read plenty of people, many of whom, I assume, also never imagined themselves in that position. So, no, not everything we say is worthless. Sometimes it is quite worth writing and sharing one’s thoughts. But we ought to be slower to speak, and what we do say (or write) should not be a detriment to our soul, nor a detriment to others. James instructs us to make better use of our tongues and points out just how destructive they can be. In an age where we have all been given a thousand tongues with which to voice our grievances, it seems like his words are more relevant than ever. “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain” (James 1:26, NABRE).

When we do speak, we would do well to remember what Paul writes in the book of Ephesians: “No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. [And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ” (Ephesians 4:29-32, NABRE).

I know personally that I have committed more sins of the tongue than I could ever possibly number. This should frighten me a lot more than it usually does. James is clear: the tongue will send us to hell. Along with the Psalmist, then, I pray, “Set a guard, Lord, before my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3, NABRE).

In a world full of slop, hatred, bitterness, slander, anger, backbiting, gossip, calumny, misinformation, infohazards, and information overload, we would do well to know less and say less.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!