Christian Living

The Hyper-Examined Life Is Not Worth Living in 2017

Samuel James / December 30, 2016

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As we approach the end of 2016and the beginning of the new year, many of uswillreflect, even if briefly,
on our lives and loved ones in the past year. For some, that will mean reliving warm and cherished
moments, and for others, feeling yet more grief and pain. In either case, there can be no doubt that
American culture, as distracted and unfocused as it often is, encourages a kind of serious introspection
this time of year.

Self-reflection is good. Its a habit that can produce the kind of humility, modesty, and moral awareness
that characterize the people we tend to admire. Its a practice rooted in a biblical command to examine
ourselvesto take heed of ourspiritual condition so as to not be deceived, either by sin or by each other.
Done in the right spirit, introspection can remind us of our need for a Savior, and renew a genuine
thankfulness and desire for Christ.

As is true of all things, however, self-reflection can be corrupted. If the unexamined life is not worth living,
the hyper-examined life isnt either.

Life Hyper-Examined
The hyper-examined life is what happens when a legitimate desire to be self-aware becomes an
unhealthy preoccupation with our own emotional lives. Hyper-introspection can make us watch our
thoughts and feelings with an obsessive hawkishness, making us perpetually unable to enjoy moments of
self-forgetfulness. This can be particularly debilitating in relationships, when every relationship and
encounter is constantly subjected to inward scrutiny.

At first, it may sound like the hyper-examined life is really a personality bug, a flaw in some introverted
temperaments that only affects a few people. But a quick look at social media, the dominant interpersonal
medium of our generation, reveals quite a bit about how unaware we can be that were living a hyper-
examined life.

Because social media is essentially a faceless, competitive marketplace for digital personas, it tends to
encourage habits of thought and feeling that tend toward a hyper-examined life. Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram all have their respective reward systems for participation: likes, retweets, and so on. The key
to getting the most out of these mediumsis to constantly orientyour own personality toward whatever is
popular (or controversial) at a given moment, and post accordingly. This habit can easily spill over into
offline life; for example, choosinga book whose picture will get plenty of attention on Instagram, or
posting clever zingers on Twitterwithout saying anything meaningful.

Effects of Hyper-Examination
The effect here is that we fail to cultivate genuine moments of life that dont have to rebound back to us in
the form of digital approval. And that, in turn, can affect how we live offline too. Many writers and teachers
have observed that my generation struggles with decision-making. Millennials often seem paralyzed by
fear of failure, desiring complete assurance that the next step will be easy and rewarding. Thus, many
young people unwittingly hurt their chances of lasting marriages, stable careers, and fruitful relationships
by trying to constantly make the right decision, when simply making a decision would, in fact, be the
right move.

The hyper-examined life is exhausting. Life,

including the Christian life, isnt meant to be lived
by way of nonstop self-appraising and people-
pleasing.

An obsessive preoccupation with what others will think and a paralyzing fear of failure go hand in hand,
and both are symptoms of a hyper-examined life. Manyliving a hyper-examined will flit and float from job
to job, from friend to friend, from place to place. Thismay seem adventurous at first, but whats often
behind this rootlessness is a compulsive need for satisfaction in everyseason of life. Instead of losing
themselves in the joys of the mundane, the regular, and the everyday, these wandering souls constantly
search their own emotional state for happinessnot realizing that such preoccupation with self is exactly
what tends to kill happiness in the first place.
The hyper-examined life is exhausting. Life, including the Christian life, isnt meant to be lived by way of
nonstop self-appraising and people-pleasing. A day-in, day-out regiment of the hyper-examined life leads
inevitably to burnout, frustration, and a nagging sense of unfulfilled desire not based in reality.

Life Well-Examined
By contrast, the well-examined life is not driven by fear or compulsive self-searching but by a humble
desire for grace. Personal failures are not meant to be endlessly agonized over but repented of, with
confidence in Gods provision for forgiveness and transformation (2 Cor. 7:10). Confidence in the mercies
of God disarms paralyzing fear, if we live life knowing that poorly made or even sinful decisions dont exist
outside the scope of Gods plans and promises for us (Rom. 8:3839).

Many times,the most spiritual thing we can do is

stop trying to think such spiritual thoughts and
simply stop thinking about ourselves at all.

Instead of meandering from one thing to the next in search of the emotional fulfillment that always feels
out of reach, living the well-examined life frees us to drop self-preoccupation and learn the virtues of
gratitude and contentment. The reality is that, many times,the most spiritual thing we can do is stop trying
to think such spiritual thoughts and simply stop thinking about ourselves at all.

As you near the new year,be encouraged to reflect well on 2016, to look for evidences of Gods grace in
your life, and to take stock of how you can trust Christ more in thought, word, and deed. Then close your
journal and go outside (and take no pictures!), or call an old friend, or take a coworker out for lunch. Dont
be afraid of the awkward moment or the failed attempt. Liveconfidently in the heavenly Father who
spared nothing from you, not even his own Son. Think on thatand look at yourself through your Fathers
eyes.

Samuel James worksin the Office of the President at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commissionof the Southern
Baptist Convention. You can read moreof his writing on his blog and follow him on Twitter.

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