Social Media Slop

In a culture saturated with noise, outrage, and fleeting influence, Stephen Bauman pauses to ask a deceptively simple question: what happened to the idea of virtuous living? In this brief reflection, he notices how words like fidelity—faithfulness to truth, to one another, to the common good—have quietly disappeared from our public vocabulary.Drawing on the wisdom of the ancient world, including Cicero’s conviction that nothing is more noble than fidelity, Stephen contrasts that vision with our present moment, where fame and power seem to eclipse faithfulness as guiding ideals. And yet, he suggests, it’s difficult to imagine a life of real depth or meaning that isn’t rooted in a commitment to truth and integrity.This episode invites listeners to slow down and consider a challenging choice: if you had to choose just one—fame, power, or faithfulness—which would you pursue, and why? Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe