This Made Me Stop

Issue No. 1: Religion, Leadership, School Laptops

Photo by Ryan Stefan on Unsplash

What is this?

Work I came across that made me stop and think. If I find something I feel is worth sharing—no more than 3-5 sources—I’ll include it in these posts. Here’s the first edition. Let me know what you think, and feel free to send me any recommendations. I’m always looking for curated content that gets to the heart of the matter.

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The Substack-ification of American Religion

“Why young men aren’t really going back to church, why liberals are sadder than conservatives, and how ‘Substack-ification’ is transforming the future of Christianity, media, and politics.”

Derek Thompson interviews Ryan Burge about the state of American religion. The general takeaway is that what we perceive to be a spiritual resurgence in America is an illusion. Whether it be for political or cultural reasons, people are claiming to “practice” spirituality, but the reality is that on the whole we are moving away from traditional spiritual institutions.

Here’s my favorite line from Burge:

You can’t just pick and choose. It’s like a three-legged stool. You need all three legs. If you pull one out, it falls apart. A lot of people are doing that with religion right now. They’re walking down the buffet line, picking one piece, putting it on their plate, and calling it a spiritual life. That doesn’t endure.

This interview made me stop and think about how we have (collectively) fallen for the buffet line in America. Sure, we all “get what we want,” but this comes at a cost:

• Slow-moving and congested lines.

• The first eat first. The last eat last. Never together.

• Cost and waste are both higher.

• Quality is generally lower.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good buffet as much as the next person, but this is food for thought. What is our spiritual practice? And does it sustain and connect us?

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Leadership Trends That Will Dominate in 2026

• Human-Centered Leadership

• Purpose-Driven Cultures

• Agility and Change Management

• Continuous Upskilling

• Leadership at Every Level

Is it just me, or is it a little sad that these might be considered revolutionary ideas? I don’t disagree with the Center for Leadership Studies’ assessment that these will be important initiatives in 2026, and I included this short article in my roundup because these really should be standard practices.

We are living the consequences of disconnected leadership and digital lives lacking purpose. Our technology is changing at hyperspeed. We can’t keep up, and we aren’t willing to move slow. At the same time, we seem more willing to accept incivility as the status quo.

These predicted trends are noble goal posts. I only hope that “human-centered” does not translate to “more selfish.” As it stands, we seem to be abdicating our responsibility for easing the suffering of future generations.

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Chromebook Remorse

I came across this article in The New York Times after writing A “Truth” Campaign Against Big Tech: How to Give Kids Agency and Purpose. I hope more schools like McPherson Middle School are brave enough to go back to the “old ways” while continuing to help students grow by offering them insightful experiences and valuable knowledge.

Supporting kids with tech use includes mindful guardrails. Lots of schools are afraid to deprive kids of their “tools,” especially given the flood of AI-based innovations that promise to improve learning. I’m not sure which way it will go, but I am convinced of this: humans, especially children, are not built to spend the majority of their day “connecting” with a screen. None of us will live to see the day when screen-based learning satisfies our hunger for meaning.

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Thank you for reading! Please feel free to share this work if you think a friend would enjoy it. To receive more insights on principled leadership, performance, and the well-being of boys and men, subscribe to my Substack or visit nicholasnowak.com.

Cheers,

Nick

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