The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer - WaterBrook & Multnomah
Pub date: Oct 29 2019
Women with jobs, houses, and homes to take care of usually read and listen to books while juggling everything to make it happen, and it's good when we grow in these topics. It's the type of life that John Mark Comer invites us to examine. If you identify with this, if you have that diagnosis of always being busy, you will appreciate the medicine.
Comer is a pastor from Oregon who "burned" himself on the altar of ministerial "success" (note that I sarcastically put success in quotation marks, because it's so ridiculous to call success something that destroys you). The pastor writes from the trenches of someone who has lived the anxiety of non-stop productivity. His proposal is deceptively simple: hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life, and we must ruthlessly eliminate it. Of course, it's not a new concept, but Comer shares and expresses it for the modern/contemporary reader.
The book analyzes how technology and culture have put us on a hamster wheel that we don't know how to get off of (yes, you know I really like using the hamster wheel analogy in every post, and the headless chicken one too, I find it very visual so we don't want to see ourselves that way). Its four pillars—silence and solitude, Sabbath, simplicity, and the art of slowing down—are not magic recipes, but directions to walk toward. I love his distinction between a simple "day off" (where we keep doing things) and a true Sabbath (where we simply are and enjoy; if you grew up in a home where you were evaluated/graded/applauded for doing things, you need to reread this part). In a Latin culture where rest is sometimes confused with laziness and "being busy" is almost a merit, this distinction is worth highlighting.
However, not everything is perfect. The book's style is very conversational, almost choppy, with short sentences that sometimes seem more like a collection of tweets than a deep development of ideas. More formal critics pointed out at the time that this can lead to equally fragmented thinking. I like well-written books, of course, but I know each author has their style; some things turn out to be agile reads, but I understand those who missed greater theological depth, especially coming from a pastor (we must understand that not all pastors or speakers are writers).
It's also fair to warn that the book is written from and for a committed Christian perspective. While anyone can benefit from its message about pace of life, Comer doesn't hide his sources: Jesus is the model to follow, and the practices he proposes are spiritual disciplines.
In summary: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is like a mirror placed in front of our saturated schedule. It won't tell you anything you don't already know deep down—that you're going too fast, that you're exhausted—but it will give you permission and the tools to do something about it. It's not a book to read quickly (please don't), but to savor calmly, one chapter at a time, and allow its ideas to land.
If you feel that constant pressure to produce, to always be "up to date," this reading will be a necessary balm and a reminder that another way of living is possible. A slower, more human way, and paradoxically, much more fulfilling.
Las mujeres con trabajo, casa y hogar que atender, generalmente leemos y escuchamos los libros, se malabarea para lograrlo y es bueno cuando se crece en estos temas. Es el tipo de vida que John Mark Comer nos invita a examinar. Si te identificas, si tienes ese diagnóstico de andar siempre ocupado(a) valorarás la medicina.
Comer, es un pastor de Oregón que se "quemó" a sí mismo en el altar del "éxito" ministerial (nótese que pongo sarcásticamente éxito entre comillas, pues es tan ridículo llamar éxito a lo que te destruye). El pastor escribe desde la trinchera de quien ha vivido la ansiedad de la productividad sin pausa. Su propuesta es engañosamente simple: la prisa es la gran enemiga de la vida espiritual, y debemos eliminarla sin piedad. Claro, no es un concepto nuevo, pero Comer lo comparte y expresa para el lector moderno/actual.
El libro analiza cómo la tecnología y la cultura nos han metido en una rueda de hámster de la que no sabemos bajar (sí, ya saben que me gusta mucho poner lo de la ruedita de hamster en cada post, y lo de gallinita sin cabeza también, se me hace muy visual para que no querramos vernos así). Sus cuatro pilares—silencio y soledad, el Sabbath, la simplicidad y el arte de ir lento—no son recetas mágicas, sino direcciones hacia las que caminar. Amo su distinción entre un simple "día libre" (donde seguimos haciendo cosas) y un verdadero Sabbath (donde simplemente somos y disfrutamos, si creciste en una casa donde se te evaluaba/calificaba/aplaudía por hacer cosas, necesitas releer esta parte). En una cultura latina donde el descanso a veces se confunde con la pereza y el "estar ocupado" es casi un mérito, esta distinción es para subrayar.
Sin embargo, no todo es perfecto. El estilo del libro es muy conversacional, casi entrecortado, con frases cortas que a veces parecen más una colección de tuits que un desarrollo profundo de ideas. Críticos más formales señalaron en su momento que eso puede llevar a un pensamiento igualmente fragmentado. A mí, me gustan los libros bien escritos, claro está pero sé que cada autor tiene su estilo, hay cosas que resultan ágiles para leer, pero entiendo a quienes echaron de menos un mayor espesor teológico, especialmente viniendo de un pastor (debemos comprender que no todos los pastores o speakers son escritores).
También es justo advertir que el libro está escrito desde y para una perspectiva cristiana comprometida. Si bien cualquiera puede beneficiarse de su mensaje sobre el ritmo de vida, Comer no oculta sus fuentes: Jesús es el modelo a seguir, y las prácticas que propone son disciplinas espirituales.
En resumen: La eliminación despiadada de las prisas es como un espejo colocado frente a nuestra agenda saturada. No te dirá nada que no sepas ya en el fondo—que vas demasiado rápido, que estás agotado, pero te dará el permiso y las herramientas para hacer algo al respecto. No es un libro para leer deprisa (por favor, no lo hagas), sino para saborear con calma, un capítulo a la vez, y permitir que sus ideas aterricen.
Si sientesesa presión constante de producir, de estar siempre "al día", esta lectura te será un bálsamo necesario y un recordatorio de que otra forma de vivir es posible. Una forma más lenta, más humana y, paradójicamente, mucho más plena.
Description
“Prophetic, practical, and profoundly life giving . . . provides a way forward that creates hope, hunger, and a vision of a beautiful life. I consider this required reading.”—Jon Tyson, lead pastor of the Church of the City New York and author of Beautiful Resistance
“Who am I becoming?”
That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren’t pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words:
“Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.”
It wasn’t the response he expected, but it was—and continues to be—the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil.
Within the pages of this book, you’ll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780525653097 |
| PRICE | $25.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
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