Maintaining Joy in a Culture of Death
The Disastrous Mysteries of the Rosary (book updates and new articles)
I stood at the podium looking into a sea of faces at a loss for words. I had just concluded my remarks addressing the question “Is the Culture Toxic?” and I was fielding questions for the Q&A portion of our diocesan pro-life conference.
The very first question caught me off guard. After hearing my summary of the challenging and disheartening developments in medical research today, one audience member asked not about the precise moment that new life begins or the ethical ins and outs of reproductive technologies, but a question far more pressing and practical: “How do you stay joyful?” The incredulity in her voice was palpable.
The Disastrous Mysteries of the Rosary
I don’t know much about Pope Saint Pius V, but I know this: he was not of melancholic temperament. As someone who is married to a melancholic with a touch of the disposition myself, I have great affection for the introspective and philosophical bend of these subdued personalities. But as the name indicates, these personalities don’t tend towards optimism—which is why I know that Pope Pius V couldn’t have been a melancholic.
Only the brightest of optimists could take the collection of events we now know as “The Joyful Mysteries” of the Rosary and name them thus. Yes, if Pope Pius had been a melancholic, he would have more aptly named these events as “The Disastrous Mysteries.”
Book Updates!
The unofficially-titled To Tempt a Mother: More Letters from Screwtape has left my desk and gone to my editor. I would love your prayers for this project as we continue through the rest of the editing and publishing process.
As always, you as subscribers will be the first to see a cover reveal, learn the official title (To Tempt a Mother is only a working title for now), and access pre-order information just as soon as it all comes out.
As this project winds down, I can’t help but daydream about what I’ll write next. I am currently mulling over ideas.
Should I write Digital Monasticism, another book that, like my first (which happens to be on sale for $3 at the moment. Buy some gifts. Tell your friends.), marries theology, culture and bioethics?
I’d love to explore what the age of the internet has done to our brains, relationships, and ability to find meaning and happiness in life, and to share some of my story: how withdrawal from the digital world has been profoundly life-giving, and how readers might discern for themselves the best way to forge ahead in a world where our minds are increasingly captivated by screens in ways that are increasingly challenging to opt-out from.
Then again, I might instead choose to relay the story of my downward spiral into chronic disease, and how opting out of Big Food, Big Pharma, and Big Tech healed my family and maybe even saved my life. I’m thinking of calling it either Crunchy Mom or Poisoned, depending on which mood I’m in when you ask me.
What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear from YOU!
In case any of the above piqued your interest, here is a brief bibliography of the research I’ve been doing for these potential projects, in no particular order:
Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
Digital Madness by Nicholas Kardaras
IGen by Jean Twenge
The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read, and Remember by Nicholas Carr
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia
Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means
Food Saved Me by Danielle Walker
Books: Mama Prays | Reclaiming Motherhood from a Culture Gone Mad
Web: www.snstephenson.com