Get Behind Me Brain Rot!

 

I could while away the hours Conferrin' with the flowers,
Consulting with the rain;
And my head I'd be a scratchin' While my thoughts are busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain.

I'd unravel ev'ry riddle for my Individdle
In trouble or in pain
With the thoughts that you'll be thinkin' You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain.

Oh, I, could tell you why The oceans near the shore
I could think of things I'd never
Thunk before,
And then I'd sit down and think some more.

I would not be just a muffin', My head all full of stuffin',
My heart all full of pain;
And perhaps I'd deserve you and be Even worthy even you
If I only had a brain.

Is there anyone who can't recall the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, the character who goes on a quest for a brain along with Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and, of course, Toto?  They even sang about it on their perilous pilgrimage to find the mysterious Wizard. 

Perhaps this should be our collective anthem as our world seems stunningly short on brainpower these days, on just about every front. So much for our evolved species. The phrase "deep dive" has become part of our jargon for more thoughtful exploration of a subject  yet we seem content to splash around in the shallows, for the most part.

Speaking of jargon, the Oxford University Press has chosen "brain rot" as word of the year for 2024. This looks like two words to me, but I quibble. Here is an excerpt from their rationale: 

Why ‘brain rot’?‘Brain rot’ is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration”...

The first recorded use of ‘brain rot’ was found in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden, which reports his experiences of living a simple lifestyle in the natural world. As part of his conclusions, Thoreau criticizes society’s tendency to devalue complex ideas, or those that can be interpreted in multiple ways, in favour of simple ones, and sees this as indicative of a general decline in mental and intellectual effort: “While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot – which prevails so much more widely and fatally?”

Through the years I've wondered about this rot in faith discourse as well, including on Sunday mornings. How could so many millions of people seem so, well, brainless, when it comes to connecting the Gospel to their daily actions? Why do some of the most popular preachers in the world seem more like entertainers than "deep divers" into the message of scripture? I am grateful for our Sunday morning experience each week now that I am a pew dweller. 

This was regularly a cause for pause while I was in active congregational ministry and I tried to resist the temptation to make sermons shorter and lighter in order to make them more engaging. Faith formation through study groups was important as well, and still is in retirement. I do wonder about this blog with its few paragraphs of content each day. Am I part of the "brain rot" problem or doing something to counteract it? 

I have to admit that there are times that I feel I have the attention span of a gnat anymore and I wonder if my phone is the work of the devil. Perhaps we should offer regular exorcisms: "I cast thee out, Google!" 

I would say more, but I may already be testing everyone's attention span. So. I'm off to see the Wizard...enjoy the sunshine of a Winter day!