Feed Your Mind – by Arnie Wohlgemut
“Be aware of the opinion of others filtered through the opinion of others.”
Several months ago, I was sitting in a waiting room at the hospital while a friend was in for examination. Due to the COVID protocol at the time, all magazines and other reading materials were removed. I did bring something to work on however, I chose to watch the live daily briefing by the Prime Minister of Canada. After his briefing, I watched in horror how the panel of news reporters began to dramatize and miss quote the very words that were just spoken.
“Your diet is not only what you eat. It’s what you watch, what you listen to, what you read and the people you hang around with. Be mindful of the things you put into your body emotionally, spiritually, and physically.”
Charles Shepherd
Those of you who know me, know I have a practice to not watch the evening news on a regular basis. The reason around this is simple. Aside from the experience noted above, there are enough daily challenges in my life. I do not have the need to pile on the negative, secondhand stories that has been curated to inform me and keep me watching.
Before COVID, this provided many opportunities to start a conversation either at a social gathering, around the pool whilst on vacation or over a coffee with colleagues. When the question “did you hear…?” is asked, I could honestly say, no I did not, tell me about what you heard.
The evening local or national news on TV are no longer the primary source of information for many folks. We have Twitter feeds, Instagram Stories, and the one that started it all, Facebook News Feed.
“The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the hearts of fools.”
Proverbs 15:7
I do not believe they are called feeds or news feed without reason. Even though there may be valuable information provided, it is still intended to maintain and grow marketshare. In my experience, they are opinions of others filtered through the opinions of others.
Secondly, the dramatization and the diminishing of information in these news feeds are in my opinion, dangerous. This is a practice we find in many things we watch, listen to, read and even from the people we hang around with.
“As we think, we change the physical nature of our brain. As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts.”
Dr. Caroline Leaf
So, why do we use these sources to feed our minds? Are these all-trusted sources of information that will help us in our work life and family life?
It has occurred to me that I continually need to be aware of who and what feeds my mind emotionally and spiritually. I encourage you to be aware of the news feeds you use to inform your life.
You must be logged in to post a comment.