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The Age of Martha: A Call to Contemplative Learning in a Frenzied Culture
T.S. Eliot characterizes modern life as having "neither plentitude nor vacancy," and goes on to say that our lives are "distracted from distraction by distraction." The truth is that the world is perennially too much with us. We're always in danger of getting and spending and giving our hearts away, of trading our glimpses of Proteus rising from the sea for glimpses of the latest social-media craze. We have grown so used to our distractions that we have nearly forgotten what leisure is, that divine and gratuitous part of human existence that ennobles life and causes us to pause and reflect, pray and praise, fast as well as feast. This is why the Scriptures give us the story of Mary and Martha. We can be like Mary, who chose to be still and present for the most important thing. Or we can be like Martha, who chose instead to worry about earthly things and was admonished for her unwillingness to rest. Now, however, it seems there is almost no choice left at all, and we have nearly forgotten what it means for our souls to give attention. Even in our schools and churches, which should be the seats of contemplation, there is little place for the free and "useless" delight of the Transcendent and Divine. In this work, Devin O'Donnell seeks to frame a philosophy of academics rooted in leisure, one that sees school as scholé in principle and practice. If we are to be faithful with the inheritance of a liberal arts tradition, then we must return to seeing leisure as a guiding light in our educational efforts. "Those convinced of the primacy of contemplation owe yet another debt of gratitude to Classical Academic Press for this newest book, devoted to the cultivation of the devout mind. Besides a robust critique of what is currently confused with higher education, The Age of Martha offers useful counsel regarding more recent concerns, such as the cautious use of available electronic aids. This work is recommended without reserve, especially for parents and educators." Patrick Henry Reardon, Senior Editor, A Journal of Mere Christianity
- GenresEducationNonfiction
216 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2019
20 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 21, 2020
An important book on the lost art of contemplation.
August 6, 2021
I had a big chunk of time unexpectedly open up in my calendar last night, so I had the time to read this book. My intent was just to start it, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down!
WOW!
This book gives such a thorough understanding to just how frenzied our culture is. It is so well written, and logical. The author explores how education has changed over the centuries and decades. It reminds us that the real purpose of education is not passing tests, but actually learning and forming virtue in the souls of students.
One of the themes repeated throughout the book is that distractions distract us from distraction. Our “hustle bustle on the go lives” create a state of restlessness, and those who are restless are unteachable. We are reminded that nothing good comes easily, but we must make rest a priority and understand that acedia is sinful. (Acedia happens to be a central downfall in my personal life. I never knew the word acedia existed until about a year ago. Once I understood it, I had a grasp on making thoughtful changes to improve my life and bring about peace.)
This book will make you evaluate your priorities, and if you don’t already know this, it will help you to thoroughly understand that a full schedule doesn’t equal a full life. Our homes should be a destination, not a rest stop where we quickly refuel and get going again. Multitasking is perceived to be a great thing, but the reality is that it is not. Productivity is about doing the right things deliberately and with intention. And of course there’s the age old lesson that it’s faster to do a job right the first time.
Festina lente is a Latin phrase that means “make haste slowly” which at first seems odd, but it’s the only way to achieve mastery of educational goals. Whose calendar do we submit ourselves to? How intentional are we with the limited gift of time?
Why do we go to school? Is it to go to college, to get a job, to make money, so we can buy things? Do power and wealth fulfill our purpose in life? The author cites discussions from Socrates to Mark Cuban discussing the need for prudence and wisdom as opposed to just looking up information through technology. He reminds us of the message in Job 28:18 that the price of wisdom is above rubies. Too many times people seek to gain the world at the cost of losing their soul.
Pages 98-112 were titled “Mind and Machine” and they were so interesting! I read them twice. It talked about the extraordinary amount of money many schools spend on technology. Of course these schools are sincere in their efforts to provide what they deem the best education possible, but many times it boils down to adopting technology as a marketing strategy. Is a computer/iPad for every child really benefitting learning? No! The computer is merely an extension of the human mind. Sure, we can find just about any information we want on the internet. We discover instant information, but at the cost of encouraging shallow and scattered thought and stunting contemplation. There is a big difference in true wisdom and the appearance of wisdom. If the price to pay is our own humanity, is it worth it? “Instead of allowing time for seeds of memory to ripen into fruitful thought, we harvest early; and instead of allowing time for the mind to be nourished on that fruit, we seek in haste the intellectual equivalent of fast food, which is cheap and supersized.”
“Whenever we outsource human things to technology, we surrender more of our own potential glory and some piece of us diminishes.” We fail to see the gift of being human.
This book is a lesson in telling us we need a wake up call. Technology should be limited. We should make use of better ways to actually learn. We should read. We should spend time outdoors. We should discern. We should pay attention to not just the content, but also the form in which our resources come.
Limitation is unpopular, but those who can narrow their focus are more likely to achieve mastery and truly learn. How often are we guilty of searching for the next best thing? So much more value can be found in doing actual research - like in a library - remember microfiche? - than just hitting up Google to gather some information quickly. We don’t learn and master things that are obtained quickly and easily.
How often do we feel too tired to pick up a book, yet too restless to not be entertained? Thanks social media.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a teacher, anyone who has student aged children, or anyone who is actively pursuing learning themselves. The explanations, logic, and practical advice you’ll find in the pages are well worth the 5-6 hours it may take you to read.
WOW!
This book gives such a thorough understanding to just how frenzied our culture is. It is so well written, and logical. The author explores how education has changed over the centuries and decades. It reminds us that the real purpose of education is not passing tests, but actually learning and forming virtue in the souls of students.
One of the themes repeated throughout the book is that distractions distract us from distraction. Our “hustle bustle on the go lives” create a state of restlessness, and those who are restless are unteachable. We are reminded that nothing good comes easily, but we must make rest a priority and understand that acedia is sinful. (Acedia happens to be a central downfall in my personal life. I never knew the word acedia existed until about a year ago. Once I understood it, I had a grasp on making thoughtful changes to improve my life and bring about peace.)
This book will make you evaluate your priorities, and if you don’t already know this, it will help you to thoroughly understand that a full schedule doesn’t equal a full life. Our homes should be a destination, not a rest stop where we quickly refuel and get going again. Multitasking is perceived to be a great thing, but the reality is that it is not. Productivity is about doing the right things deliberately and with intention. And of course there’s the age old lesson that it’s faster to do a job right the first time.
Festina lente is a Latin phrase that means “make haste slowly” which at first seems odd, but it’s the only way to achieve mastery of educational goals. Whose calendar do we submit ourselves to? How intentional are we with the limited gift of time?
Why do we go to school? Is it to go to college, to get a job, to make money, so we can buy things? Do power and wealth fulfill our purpose in life? The author cites discussions from Socrates to Mark Cuban discussing the need for prudence and wisdom as opposed to just looking up information through technology. He reminds us of the message in Job 28:18 that the price of wisdom is above rubies. Too many times people seek to gain the world at the cost of losing their soul.
Pages 98-112 were titled “Mind and Machine” and they were so interesting! I read them twice. It talked about the extraordinary amount of money many schools spend on technology. Of course these schools are sincere in their efforts to provide what they deem the best education possible, but many times it boils down to adopting technology as a marketing strategy. Is a computer/iPad for every child really benefitting learning? No! The computer is merely an extension of the human mind. Sure, we can find just about any information we want on the internet. We discover instant information, but at the cost of encouraging shallow and scattered thought and stunting contemplation. There is a big difference in true wisdom and the appearance of wisdom. If the price to pay is our own humanity, is it worth it? “Instead of allowing time for seeds of memory to ripen into fruitful thought, we harvest early; and instead of allowing time for the mind to be nourished on that fruit, we seek in haste the intellectual equivalent of fast food, which is cheap and supersized.”
“Whenever we outsource human things to technology, we surrender more of our own potential glory and some piece of us diminishes.” We fail to see the gift of being human.
This book is a lesson in telling us we need a wake up call. Technology should be limited. We should make use of better ways to actually learn. We should read. We should spend time outdoors. We should discern. We should pay attention to not just the content, but also the form in which our resources come.
Limitation is unpopular, but those who can narrow their focus are more likely to achieve mastery and truly learn. How often are we guilty of searching for the next best thing? So much more value can be found in doing actual research - like in a library - remember microfiche? - than just hitting up Google to gather some information quickly. We don’t learn and master things that are obtained quickly and easily.
How often do we feel too tired to pick up a book, yet too restless to not be entertained? Thanks social media.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a teacher, anyone who has student aged children, or anyone who is actively pursuing learning themselves. The explanations, logic, and practical advice you’ll find in the pages are well worth the 5-6 hours it may take you to read.
November 11, 2023
It's about education, but it has implications for all of life. This might be one of the most important books I've read in the last few years. It will make you rethink a lot of things.
December 28, 2025
My favorite book this year!
July 10, 2020
I like to read an educational philosophy book on my summer break and I picked this one up at the GHC. It was so good! I literally marked up every page. The call to a contemplative life, how to go about that, why we should allow time for contemplation, the role of education, and practical questions were all in this book. He argues that every age has a saint that is an antidote for its problems and St Augustine is the saint to read about for our distracted age. So my practical takeaways are 1) read Augustine’s “Confessions,” 2) only use physical books for my nonfiction reads, 3) add in prayer throughout our school day (maybe the doxology at lunch?). The three part medieval mode of studying lectio, meditatio, and compositio is very much what I do now with narrations and note booking. I’m also thinking about my rules on physical demeanor since one should “treat your body as the outward manifestation of the soul.” There was a lot of good material about technology and what it is doing to our brains. Highly recommend this book!
January 11, 2021
Excellent breakdown of schole, time (chronos / kairos), the “shallows” of digital technology; draws heavily on Josef Pieper (and makes him easy to understand!). I have some questions on how this fits into a Charlotte Mason education so I’m going to suggest reading this with my IRL CM group, alongside our current Volume.
October 30, 2020
Compelling! Beautifully written and thoughtfully presented! I gained so much joy and confidence from this book and look forward to applying these practices in my home.
June 16, 2022
I am grateful for this concise and practical study of the need for leisure, margin, and old-school schole in our lives and educational worlds. Both theoretical and practical, O'Donnell's approach brings into one place a terrific introduction to a topic about which we think we know but come to realize we don't. I anticipate chewing on these ideas and returning to them often as they make their way into my own life.
September 13, 2021
This book really emphasized to me to slow down and focus on a few good things. If you try to take on too much, you wind up just feeling scatterbrained and overwhelmed! Also, reading real books and less Internet!!
Want to read
December 28, 2024Christopher Perrin’s new book to come in early 2025: “The Schole Way: Bringing Back Restful Learning to School and Homeschool” — https://substack.com/redirect/4e97bf2...
April 4, 2021
Challenging. Mr. O'Donnell reads the story of Mary & Martha as an allegory for our Christian and educational lives.
July 16, 2022
This book has a lot of good things to say, even though it gets repetitive in a few sections. However, it’s a short read, so it’s still worth sitting with.
January 7, 2023
A great topic to read about and be reminded of what is really important
July 22, 2022
An enlightening and challenging book. It’s no secret that our days are filled with busyness and distraction, that the internet and social media are double-edged swords. O’Donnell makes the argument that this is having a profoundly negative effect on our lives, and especially our kids and their education. His solution is to slow down and allow for more contemplation, looking back to biblical and medieval sources for inspiration.
This is more than adding “margin” to one’s schedule, not just making sure you can chill out and watch a movie from time to time (because let’s be honest, entertainment is definitely part of most people’s daily routine), but particularly for Christians, this is a vital call to practice leisure - giving time and attention to the most important things. The discussion touches on all areas of life, but primarily focuses on school. Many homeschoolers are likely familiar with Sarah Mackenzie’s wonderful book, Teaching From Rest; this is like a Master’s course in scholé, or restful learning.
Homeschooling is definitely a part of the discussion, but a lot of the suggestions for implementing restful learning into a classroom come in the context of a school, and would perhaps not be an issue in a homeschool context (my kids don’t have phones to turn in at the beginning of class time), or would have to be adapted (the idea of a classroom catechism is intriguing). The recommendations are worthy of consideration, it’s easy to see their benefits, tho some are definitely more of a challenge than others (I’m going to be looking for resources to help me redeem Beauty in our house, especially related to visual arts and music).
Overall, it’s a thought-provoking and pretty convincing book. It may help that I’ve already been trying to allow space for silence and contemplation in my own life, and want to find ways to encourage the practice for my kids as they grow up. If we don’t allow for thoughts and ideas to deepen in our minds and hearts, where will that leave us?
This is more than adding “margin” to one’s schedule, not just making sure you can chill out and watch a movie from time to time (because let’s be honest, entertainment is definitely part of most people’s daily routine), but particularly for Christians, this is a vital call to practice leisure - giving time and attention to the most important things. The discussion touches on all areas of life, but primarily focuses on school. Many homeschoolers are likely familiar with Sarah Mackenzie’s wonderful book, Teaching From Rest; this is like a Master’s course in scholé, or restful learning.
Homeschooling is definitely a part of the discussion, but a lot of the suggestions for implementing restful learning into a classroom come in the context of a school, and would perhaps not be an issue in a homeschool context (my kids don’t have phones to turn in at the beginning of class time), or would have to be adapted (the idea of a classroom catechism is intriguing). The recommendations are worthy of consideration, it’s easy to see their benefits, tho some are definitely more of a challenge than others (I’m going to be looking for resources to help me redeem Beauty in our house, especially related to visual arts and music).
Overall, it’s a thought-provoking and pretty convincing book. It may help that I’ve already been trying to allow space for silence and contemplation in my own life, and want to find ways to encourage the practice for my kids as they grow up. If we don’t allow for thoughts and ideas to deepen in our minds and hearts, where will that leave us?
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews