Patrick Martin

“It may be of some interest to note, in this connection, that the crossword puzzle became a popular form of diversion in America at just that point when the telegraph and the photograph had achieved the transformation of news from functional information to decontextualized fact. This coincidence suggests that the new technologies had turned the age-old problem of information on its head: Where people once sought information to manage the real contexts of their lives, now they had to invent contexts in which otherwise useless information might be put to some apparent use.”
― Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

“I quickly realized there was more thinking going on in the bike shop than in my previous job at the think tank.”
― Matthew B. Crawford, Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work

“the assumptions controlling a news show are “that bite-sized is best, that complexity must be avoided, that nuances are dispensable, that qualifications impede the simple message, that visual stimulation is a substitute for thought, and that verbal precision is an anachronism.”[3]”
― Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

“It is especially important for Christian leaders to consider how they can lead in such a way that nonbelievers feel compelled to consider Jesus. “So far as it depends on you,” Scripture says, “live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). Instead of using our platforms and influence to persuade other people of faith to take a moral stand against secular ethics, what if we focused on embodying Jesus’s Spirit-filled, life-giving ethics beautifully and compellingly?”
― Scott Sauls, From Weakness to Strength: 8 Vulnerabilities That Can Bring Out the Best in Your Leadership