#153 The High-Velocity News Cycle is Destroying Your Soul - Joe Heschmeyer

In this book, Cardinal Robert Sarah, with the collaboration of Nicolas Diat, argues that silence is essential for spiritual growth and for encountering God. Written within the context of the Carthusian monastery of La Grande Chartreux, the book addresses the necessity of silence in a world overwhelmed by technology and materialism. It explores how silence is the doorway to the divine, allowing individuals to hear the voice of God and to understand truth, beauty, and love. The book also discusses the role of silence in liturgical celebrations and its importance in combating evil through prayer[1][4][5].

In 'Contagious: Why Things Catch On,' Jonah Berger explains that the popularity of products, ideas, and behaviors is driven by six key principles: social currency, triggers, emotion, public visibility, practical value, and stories. Berger argues that word of mouth, rather than traditional advertising, is the primary force behind making things popular. He provides case studies, real-world examples, and research findings to support these principles, which can be applied to various fields including marketing, social causes, and political campaigns. The book emphasizes that contagious content can spread through everyday conversations rather than relying on socially influential individuals[2][4][5].

In 'The Anxious Generation', Jonathan Haidt examines the sudden decline in the mental health of adolescents starting in the early 2010s. He attributes this decline to the shift from a 'play-based childhood' to a 'phone-based childhood', highlighting mechanisms such as sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, and perfectionism that interfere with children’s social and neurological development. Haidt proposes four simple rules to address this issue: no smartphones before high school, no social media before age 16, phone-free schools, and more opportunities for independence, free play, and responsibility. The book offers a clear call to action for parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments to restore a more humane childhood and end the epidemic of mental illness among youth.