Dangers of the Echo Chamber

This week, I had a conversation with someone familiar with the legal aftermath of the Jan 6 Capital Hill Riots. As law enforcement, he talked about sitting across the table from some of the people being charged. Many were law-abiding citizens up to this point. People, perhaps, that could have been our neighbors (some of them were.) But they got caught up in the “Echo Chamber,” and now, unfortunately, reality has set in.

The “Echo Chamber” is a terrible place. It’s more of a beaker than a chamber. And I think we are all in danger of being sucked into one. You start with a viewpoint in which you are confident. At first, you begin discussing the perspective (maybe even some “light” arguing) with some friends and cohorts. But the conversations become more shrill, and you yearn for the solace of “like-minded” people.

Your positions become more reinforced, and your arguments become more inflated. People who use to engage with you no longer engage as you become more strident in your views. You, over time, get sucked into the bowl, and now your universe is people who echo your position. Oftentimes, it takes a significant emotional event to pop us back out. Sometimes it includes sitting in front of a judge. Other times, it is sitting with a boss or employer who is getting ready to free up your future.

Echo Chambers come in every variety. There are political and racial ones. Believe it or not, there are big business ones. Have you ever heard this one; “If you don’t like the way we do it around here, go work somewhere else.’ (Hellllooooo) Churches have echo chambers, too (sometimes we call them cults.)

Here are a couple of ways to avoid the Echo Chamber.

Foster a wide array of advisors and friends.

Ps 11:14 says, “ For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but with many counselors comes deliverance.” While I was at the Air Force Schoolhouse, General Perry Smith (USAF, RET), who had just resigned from CNN because of questionable reporting by a variety of reporters, spoke. He encouraged us, as field grade officers, to keep a stable of advisors in three areas; financial, career, and character. “Consult them often and make sure you give every one of them the authority to speak into your life,” I recall him saying. That one nugget has saved me a lot of pain over the years.

Presume there are three stories: your story, their story, and the real story.

A healthy amount of skepticism goes a long way. My family is filled with type A personalities. Let’s just say there is a lot of “discussion” around the kitchen counter. I have questioned sources on more than one occasion. And they have had done the same thing with me. “I read it somewhere,” flies for about six nanoseconds in the Gordon household. The Apostle Paul took on this challenge in the letters to the Galatians and Romans. On the one hand, there were the guys who believed ‘eat, drink and be merry.’ I call them the Jesus Minus Group. On the other end were Jerusalem folk who wanted the Gentiles to believe and take on all the trappings of Judaism (the Jesus plus-ers.) Paul had to remind them about the REAL story (Just Jesus.)

Please understand, I am not saying every position is fluid, or to avoid the Echo Chamber, you need to water down your views. I am saying, occasionally, ask yourself, am I getting the real story, and am I listening to the right people? As I said before, these two little nuggets may save you lawyer fees and a little embarrassment. And maybe you will learn something along the way.

-Pastor Bob Gordon

Dangers of the Echo Chamber

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