Dear Friends,
You may be aware that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts a survey every year as to where Americans are spending their time. You can access the past twenty years of data on their website. The results are called the American Time Use Survey. There you can compare yourself to the “average American” on all possible activities, such as how much time do people spend doing household tasks each day? (Individuals aged 19 spend 43 minutes engaged in household activities, while those age 65 plus spend 2.7 hours doing so). The survey lets us know that nearly everyone 15 and over (95 percent) engaged in some sort of leisure and sport activity, such as watching TV, socializing, or exercising on an average day. Watching TV was the leisure activity that occupied the most time (2.6 hours per day), accounting for half of all leisure time, on average (5.2 hours). Religious activity for 38% of the people accounts for one hour a week.
The survey reveals that most Americans are now spending a lot more time alone. This alone time has increased dramatically since Covid but was on the rise prior. Robert Putnam wrote about this increasing isolation many years ago in his book Bowling Alone and the societal consequences arising from this more solitary style of life.
No clear reason for this change is found in the annual survey, but lots of thought exists as to why this is happening. In a recent story in The Atlantic, Derek Thompson concludes: Everybody might prefer, in the abstract, a world of dinner parties, neighborhood friendships, and spontaneous gatherings. But on any given Wednesday at 7:45 p.m., looking at a screen is easier than hosting a party. This is not so much an individual failure as a coordination failure. Modernity has shifted leisure from activities that require coordination with other people toward activities that can be consumed without the permission or participation of others. Compared with TikTok, a dinner party is a terrible leisure technology. It requires matching schedules, cleaning the house, buying food, accommodating children and allergies, tolerating awkwardness, and taking the risk that the evening is mediocre. By contrast, what does television ask of us? Nothing. TikTok? Even less. We keep creating opportunities for downtime that eliminate the need for other people to be present. Not all progress is progress.
Christianity stands in opposition to this growing trend. Jesus formed a community of believers, not an audience on TikTok. The benefits that come from engaging one another in our discipleship far outweigh the time and energy needed to make relationships happen. Just take one example from our parish experience, Alpha. Does Alpha demand a lot of work from the team? Yes, preparing food and drink for that many people, leading the small discussion groups, providing hospitality and more places demands on the team. But the team knows that the Alpha experience changes lives and that the Holy Spirit will be working through the experience. From the beginning with Jesus and his followers until now, growth in our discipleship happens in relationship with others.
During Pope Leo’s recent visit to France, we saw the Church doing what the Church does – in opposition to the secularized world, the Church gathered and gave praise to God. And Pope Leo held up the dignity of every human person, especially the little ones that the secularized world holds in no esteem. We are not Church alone but with others, and our lives are richer because of it.
Peace,
Fr. Damian