He was chasing the medieval equivalent of the "torrent lifestyle"—sex, status, and the thrill of the new.
But he was deeply reluctant to let it go. In fact, his conversion was less a lightning bolt and more a slow, painful drag. He hid from a beggar. He locked himself in a cave. Even after he started praying, he kept one eye on the door, hoping a troubadour would walk by with a better offer. reluctant saint francis of assisi torrent
When Francis finally stripped naked in the town square (returning his fine clothes to his furious father), he wasn’t just rejecting wealth. He was rejecting dispersion . He was chasing the medieval equivalent of the
Francis chose the well. He chose silence. He chose repetition (praying the same Psalms every day). He chose boredom—which is the necessary soil for true creativity and peace. I am not suggesting you give away your TV or delete your internet. But I am suggesting that Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of the burned-out binge-watcher. He hid from a beggar
Modern entertainment is designed to be a torrent. One dopamine hit leads to the next. The algorithm feeds you more of what you just finished. You are a bucket trying to catch a waterfall. You will end up empty, bruised, and wet.
Francis’s turning point was embracing what repulsed him. In your entertainment life, this means taking a break from the "optimized" algorithms. Read a book that is 20 years old. Watch a black-and-white film. Listen to a genre you hate. Reluctantly embrace the "un-entertaining." You will find strange joy there.
Francis hated fine fabrics because they made him feel superior. Ask yourself: Does this show, game, or feed make me feel better than other people? If the answer is yes (reality TV schadenfreude, doom-scrolling anger, gaming rage), cut it out. Entertainment should humanize you, not harden you.