"Depth" & What really matters...?

In parts of a response to the post at http://www.boundlessline.org/2007/11/balancing-act.html, someone wrote:

One big attraction of legalism is that it allows people to set aside the complicated and uncomfortable process of examining their own hearts and motivations in order to debate externals, while still maintaining the appearance of caring deeply and intelligently about an issue. It can be easier to put in many hours at complicated scripture exegesis than it is to take just a few minutes to ask yourself, "what are my real motivations for doing what I do?".

and also:

it's just good to be aware of one's main motivations. Too often, legalistic debate is mostly about escapism and a need for simplicity.

It's interesting to think that some may consider legalistic debate as a kind of escape. Perhaps desiring to think deeply could also be a surface way of escape. While thinking "deeply" could be a productive pastime, perhaps often the motivations are not pure. While reflecting deeply, what other type of activity might be being neglected as a result? Am I being lazy about taking care of other business that should be taken care of? Even though pondering about life and faith is fun, how do I act in my day-to-day life? Am I honoring God when I'm alone? Am I loving others in ways I ought? Even though I want to grow and become a person of more depth and understanding about the things of God, I should strive for holiness in more holistic ways...