Garbage in. Garbage out.

One of the most powerful choices you have in a free society is who and what you give your attention to. You hold this power whether you are rich or penniless, young or old, wise or foolish, but do you use it? The power to turn away⏤to move your attention away from stories and messages (and people) that don’t add value to the stream of your life⏤that power is real and resides in everyone.

Think of the visual cliché of an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil sitting on the other. The angel whispers uplifting and encouraging messages, while the devil whispers lies and discouragement. In this time of nearly constant noise and entertainment, the devil whispering in your ear could simply be the show playing in the background while you make dinner. How many negative, divisive, and degrading messages have completely unfettered access to you? How many vain and childish messages enter your mind undetected and with no resistance whatsoever, floating in like air pollution? If the saying, “You are what you eat,” is true, then you are most certainly influenced and shaped by what you watch, read, and listen to. 

You probably wouldn’t fill your car’s gas tank with molasses or put sand in your bike’s tires. It’s unlikely you would drink poisonous shakes for breakfast or eat sheetrock for dinner. Yet, gossip, violence, other peoples’ loss, suffering, humiliation, and worse are common subjects of so much media and entertainment that it barely registers as unsettling. That’s perfectly fine for others, but is it perfectly fine for you? It doesn’t matter a single iota what others decide to do; all that matters is your decision.

You can’t necessarily change the world, and you most certainly can’t change anyone else, but you can change yourself. Consider being more mindful of what you consume, of what you let entertain you, of where you find your delights. Consider where you place your attention, what creators you support, what cultural conversations you are a part of and a contributor to. Consider what voices you amplify by listening to them and what messages you do and don’t want to be a channel for.

Walk away

Turn it off

Disengage

Unsubscribe

Change the channel

It is better to spend your days in absolute silence than to take in words, music, or images that debase your heart, mind, or soul.

Copyright 2023 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)

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