The Media & Your Mind

I have to admit that over the last month I have become a huge CSI fan. While I've never seen the shows before, I was quickly drawn into the clue-chasing mysteries and the fascinating technologies and tools they use to solve the crimes. I found myself watching a new episode on On Demand TV each night.

Then I noticed a change in myself: While walking my dog Cuda at night, I was a bit fearful of the dark street and what might be around the corner. I started double locking the doors and had a bit of anxiety staying in my house one night while Mike was in Oakland. I carried a sense of mis-trust to strangers I would see on the street. So I began to wonder, "why is this?"

I realized that because I had been filling my evenings with dramas of murder mystery, this became a reality in my life. I never before had these thoughts of horror or human acts of violence, but now they were there in my subconscious, telling me that this is how life is. I never understood the argument that horror and war movies, gangster rap, gruesome books, and other areas of the media influence our society, especially kids. But I see now how one TV show has made a change in my life. What if these movies and books didn't exist? Would there be less war, murder, rape, etc. in the world?

Start to notice how what you watch on TV, read, or who you hang out with impacts your life. Can you surround yourself with more positive things or people that in turn make your life happier, more joyful, and more fulfilling? Perhaps its time to turn off the nightly news, and instead spend some time with your family in conversation, or spend some time with yourself in meditation.