Rob Witham

Thomas Merton had some interesting thoughts on what he termed the “mass-man” and the solitary.

“Who has less to communicate than the mass-man? Very often it is the solitary who has the most to say; not that he uses many words, but what he says is new, substantial, unique. It is his own. Even though he says very little, he has something to communicate, something personal which he is able to share with others. He has something real to give because he himself is real.” (Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation)

If this statement was true when Merton penned it, and I am certain that it was, it is exponentially more true today. I just read an article earlier by Darren Rowse discussing contributing to a conversation versus increasing the echo chamber effect. So much of what passes off as media reporting, blogging, news, preaching, etc. is nothing more than a massive, cacophonous echo.

Too few people have anything to contribute because they are steeped in mass culture and spend too little (if any) time alone and with God. It is only in those times of solitude that we can begin to develop perspective. The “mass-man” cannot see the forest for the trees. We must step back and away from the busyness if we hope to have anything to contribute. This is true no matter your vocation.

To have something real to give we must first be real ourselves. Scary.