“The Paradox of Our Time”
A message said to have come from George Carlin on the occasion of his wife’s death and his commentary on the nation after the Attack on America on September 11, 2001. It has also circulated as having been written by a surviving student of the Columbine high school massacre in Colorado.
The Truth:
This has been circulating on the Internet for quite a while…long before September 11, and is not from George Carlin.
Those who know George Carlin’s views would immediately know that the comments in “The Paradox of Our Time” do not match those of Carlin.
On his website at www.georgecarlin.com he denies authorship and criticizes the piece.
The rumor that these words were spoken on the occasion of the death of his wife are a recent addition to the eRumor, which began circulating about 1999.
There are many websites that quote from this now classic eRumor and identify it as having been written by Jeff Dickson in 1998.
Thanks to a tip from one of our readers, we have found the original author, however.
It is minister, author, and former pastor of Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, Washington.
In a response to an inquiry by TruthOrFiction.com, Dr. Moorehead said he wrote it in 1990.
It was later published in 1995 in his book WORDS APTLY SPOKEN.
(Our thanks to the Office of Communications of the Overlake Christian Church for his help on this story.)
“The Paradox of Our Time”
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've split the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.
Dr. Bob Moorehead, former pastor of Seattle's Overlake Christian Church
The Truth:
This has been circulating on the Internet for quite a while…long before September 11, and is not from George Carlin.
Those who know George Carlin’s views would immediately know that the comments in “The Paradox of Our Time” do not match those of Carlin.
On his website at www.georgecarlin.com he denies authorship and criticizes the piece.
The rumor that these words were spoken on the occasion of the death of his wife are a recent addition to the eRumor, which began circulating about 1999.
There are many websites that quote from this now classic eRumor and identify it as having been written by Jeff Dickson in 1998.
Thanks to a tip from one of our readers, we have found the original author, however.
It is minister, author, and former pastor of Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, Washington.
In a response to an inquiry by TruthOrFiction.com, Dr. Moorehead said he wrote it in 1990.
It was later published in 1995 in his book WORDS APTLY SPOKEN.
(Our thanks to the Office of Communications of the Overlake Christian Church for his help on this story.)
“The Paradox of Our Time”
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've split the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.
Dr. Bob Moorehead, former pastor of Seattle's Overlake Christian Church