The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world
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Discussion Questions
General Impressions
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. How did Comer's framing of hurry as a "disease" and a form of "violence on the soul" land with you? Did it feel like an accurate diagnosis of modern life, or did it come across as overstated?
2. Comer writes as a pastor but borrows heavily from the tone and structure of secular self-help books. Did you find this blend of spiritual teaching and self-help advice effective, or did the two registers feel at odds with each other? How does his approach compare to other books you've read on slowing down or managing stress—for instance, Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism or Greg McKeown's Essentialism?
3. Some of the book's practical advice—put down your phone, observe a day of rest, choose the slow lane—might strike some readers as obvious. Did you find Comer's suggestions useful, or not?
4. Comer is transparent about his own burnout and the career choices that followed, including stepping down from a megachurch role. Did his personal disclosures make the book more persuasive, or did they raise questions about how broadly his experience applies to readers in different life circumstances?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to reflect on how the book relates to their own life or work and how its lessons could help them.
1. Comer lists 10 symptoms of the "disease of hurry," including irritability, emotional numbness, escapism, and isolation. Which of those symptoms, if any, hit closest to home for you? Was there a moment while reading when you recognized your own habits more clearly than you had before?
2. Comer challenges the assumption that more time would solve the problem, arguing that most people would simply fill any extra hours with more tasks. Think about the last time you had an unexpectedly free afternoon or weekend—what did you actually do with it, and what does that reveal about your relationship with busyness?
3. The book asks readers to consider the question "How would Jesus live if he were me?" Whether or not you share Comer's faith, have you ever looked to a teacher, mentor, or admired figure and tried to model your daily habits after theirs? What did you adopt, and what proved too difficult to sustain?
4. Comer describes the shift he felt after resigning from his high-profile role—a slow "detox" that eventually allowed him to feel more present and spiritually alive. Have you ever made a significant change to your pace of life, even temporarily, and noticed a similar shift in how you experienced your days? What pulled you back, or what helped you stay the course?
Real-World Relevance
Prompt readers to explore how the book fits into today's professional or social landscape.
1. Comer traces the acceleration of modern life through industrialization, consumer culture, and the rise of smartphones, pointing to 2007 as a pivotal turning point. Given that the book was published in 2019, do you think the pressures he describes have intensified or shifted since then—particularly with the growth of remote work, AI tools, and always-on digital culture?
2. Comer frames Sabbath observance as "an act of resistance" against systems that demand constant productivity. In modern workplaces, how realistic is it for most people to draw that kind of boundary? Does economic privilege factor into the equation?
3. Comer argues that technological progress does not automatically equal human progress, and that "what looks like progression is often regression with an agenda." How does this idea sit alongside current conversations about productivity apps, optimization culture, and the promise that new tools will make life easier?
Practical Applications
Encourage readers to share and consider how the book's lessons could be applied to their personal and professional lives.
1. Comer recommends creating a personal "rule of life"—a structured set of practices to anchor your week around your deepest values. If you were to draft one for yourself, what would the first two or three commitments be, and what would you need to remove from your current routine to make room for them?
2. Of the four practices Comer outlines—silence and solitude, Sabbath, simplicity, and slowing—which one feels most achievable for you right now, and which feels most daunting? What is one concrete step you could take this week to experiment with the practice that challenges you most?
3. Comer suggests radical changes like swapping a smartphone for a basic phone, getting rid of a television, or choosing the longest checkout line on purpose. Setting aside whether you would go that far, what is one deliberate "friction point" you could introduce into your daily routine to interrupt the habit of hurrying?
4. If you were recommending this book to a friend or colleague who is visibly overwhelmed, how would you frame its core message in a way that feels inviting rather than preachy? Which single idea or practice from the book do you think would resonate most with someone who has never thought about slowing down as a deliberate choice?
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