Every morning, we wake up and — BAM! — before we even brush our teeth, our phone lights up with chaos. Another crisis. Another take. Another headline we can’t unsee. And before we’ve even brushed our teeth, we’ve already downloaded more emotional noise than our great-grandparents consumed in a decade.
Here’s the lie we’re living under: that more access equals more awareness, and that more awareness equals more peace.
But it doesn’t. Because peace doesn’t move at Wi-Fi speed. Peace moves at human speed.
It’s Not That the World Is Crazier. It’s That You’re Carrying More of It.
Let me be clear: the world has always been crazy. Wars, injustice, heartbreak, greed. It’s not new.
What’s new is this: now we know about all of it. Instantly. In high def. With analysis. And commentary. And 50 comment sections telling us how to feel.
Our brains weren’t built for this. Our hearts weren’t built for this. We were not meant to carry the grief of a bombing in one country, a scandal in another, and our own personal family drama, all before our first cup of coffee. We are emotionally over-caffeinated. Spiritually undernourished. And drowning in a flood of “awareness” that’s crushing our peace.
The Internet Is Fast. Peace Is Not.
Do you ever feel like your soul can’t catch up to your screen? One minute you see a headline that peace talks are working. Twelve hours later, nope, back to violence. Then someone you trust posts a take that gives you hope … then you scroll again and boom, back to despair.
This is not how humans are supposed to live. This is emotional whiplash dressed up as staying informed.
The algorithm doesn’t care about your peace. It cares about your attention. It wants your outrage. Your panic. Your clicks. And we’ve handed it the keys to our nervous system.
Your Peace Has a Gatekeeper … And It’s Not CNN or Instagram
Let’s get real. When we grab our phones before we grab our breath, we’re asking the internet to be our compass. We’re saying, “Tell me how to feel today.”
And here’s the problem with that: The internet is built on chaos. It doesn’t know your story. It doesn’t know your limits. And it sure as heck doesn’t know your purpose.
We’ve made the unstable our anchor. No wonder we feel like we’re drifting.
You Don’t Have to Know Everything
I know it feels like you should have an opinion on everything. Like you should know the full geopolitical history of every conflict. Like if you don’t say something, post something, signal something … you’re failing.
But listen … you’re allowed to feel something deeply and not post about it. You’re allowed to be informed and still protect your peace. You’re allowed to care without constantly carrying.
You weren’t built to be a 24/7 crisis processor. You were built to be a human … with a heart, and a soul, and limitations that are not flaws but intentional design features.
Where My Peace Actually Comes From
I’m not here to preach at you, but I gotta tell you the truth: If I relied on the internet for peace, I’d be in a permanent fetal position. The only thing that’s held me steady is the God who never changes.
When I open the Bible, I’m not looking for headlines, I’m looking for hope. For truth that doesn’t shift. For peace that doesn’t disappear when I refresh the page.
Jesus never promised the world wouldn’t be chaotic. But He did say,
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV)
He didn’t say, “Ignore the trouble.” He said: Don’t let it have the last word.
So What Do We Do With the Weight?
We breathe.
We pause.
We remember we’re not God.
And then we ask Him to remind us what’s ours to carry … and what’s His.
Friend, you are not a machine. You are not a crisis hotline. You are not the savior of the internet. You are a human. And humans need a landing place. A place where peace isn’t an algorithm. A place where hope isn’t trending. A place where love isn’t earned and safety isn’t situational.
That place? It’s real. And it’s not in your feed.
Final Thought: You Don’t Have to Carry It All
If you’ve felt the buzz in your chest lately … the heaviness. The ache. The soul-tired, heart-numb, constantly-on-edge feeling … I see you.
You’re not weak. You’re just overloaded.
So today, as the world keeps spinning, and the headlines keep coming … let yourself be human. Let God be God. Let peace be slow, and sacred.
And remember: You don’t have to carry it all. You don’t have to fix it all. You just have to trust the One who already holds it all.
It’s time to take back control of your life from technology and recover the lost art of being human. Carlos Whittaker’s Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human will inspire and equip you to reset your life in a tech-saturated world. You were made for more. This is how you start living again.
This season, step away from the pace of the world and into the peace of the Word. With Bible Gateway Plus, you have access to dozens of trusted Bible study resources to draw you closer to God through his Word. Get started with a free trial today.
Carlos Whittaker is bringing hope to humans all over the world. And he’s pretty good at it: he’s an author, podcaster, and global speaker backed by the power of a massive Instafamilia, his enthusiastic social followers who tune in daily to join forces with Carlos to find connection, do good, and be in community. Carlos and his wife Heather live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their three amazing children, where you can find them working on the family farm, planning trips around the world, and dancing to Single Ladies (seriously, Google it).
