Intellectual Junk Food!

Happy New Year from the Griffin’s Lair! As we enter a new year I’d like to tell you about one resolution I made a couple months ago - to recognize and reject the intellectual junk food that most media outlets throw my way each and every day. As the Information Age continues to develop, we have so much information available and thrown at us so often that we must be critical consumers of information. If not, we end up wasting huge amounts of time and brainpower thinking about things that really have, or should have absolutely no impact on our lives.

These days multiple 24-hour news channels compete for our attention. TV editors & producers now tell us what we should think is important in our lives and what stories are worth our time and energy. But why is a car chase in L. A. or Dallas worth my time when there is no chance it will affect me at all? Several months ago a four-year-old girl with her family at the Grand Canyon fell off a ledge, plunged 400 feet and died. Why do I know that? Why did that family’s pain have to be spread across the country? I am no better off knowing that. The only benefit of me knowing about that tragedy is that I could pray for that family I’d never heard of, but I don’t think that was the producer’s intent for putting it on the news – for TWO days! Why does the digital clock on CNBC display the time in hundredths of a second?

I have come to believe that information is like food – we can only take in so much every day and still remain intellectually healthy. Of course, that presupposes that we take in mostly nutritious intellectual fare. In our physical diets, most of us don’t have a problem, and in fact, very much enjoy, a tasty dessert after a good meal. Generally that’s not a problem. If we subsist on junk food, though, our bodies will soon take on the characteristics of our diet. Isn’t it just the same with information? The streams of information we put in soon become characteristic of our conversations and thoughts.

With so much information being fired at us all the time, it is often impossible not to take in things we have no desire to know. We are force-fed a significant amount of junk that is beyond our control. What can we do about that? We have to engage countermeasures. We have to block the junk with good, nutritious intellectual health food. There are a couple fairly easy ways of doing this.

1. Have a book full of wisdom within easy reach of your desk, couch and/or bed. The book of Proverbs, in the Old Testament, is nothing but advice about being wise and how to avoid foolishness, in bite-sized tidbits. In addition to the Bible, my recommendation for a book that will stimulate the intellect is, The Emperor’s Handbook, a new translation of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Marcus Aurelius was the Roman emperor from 161 – 180 A. D. He was depicted in the beginning of the movie “Gladiator.” He, in fact, did have a close friend and confidant - a perfect man, named Maximus. Aurelius was a student of the Greek stoics and kept a journal (in Greek, not Latin) of thoughts which he wanted to keep fresh in his mind to remind him of the importance of humility and service as well as of the great burden of leadership, and the pitfalls that lie on the path of greatness and worldly position. None of Aurelius’ entries are very long, but they are profound. Picking up that book when you are bombarded with informational junk can reset the brain to a better place. Here is the link to the book on Amazon’s website – It’s worth every penny of the $13.60 price. Buy a new one because you’ll want to highlight, underline and write in the book. Below is a sample from the book (a portion of entry #4 from book 3). Remember, Aurelius was writing to an audience of one – himself. When he writes “you” he is having a conversation with himself.

“Purge your mind of all aimless and idle thoughts, especially those that pry into the affairs of others or wish them ill. Get in the habit of limiting yourself only to those thoughts that – if you are suddenly asked, “What are you thinking at this moment?” – enable you to reply without hesitation or equivocation, “This,” or “That.” In this way, you show the world a simply and kindly man, a good neighbor, someone who is indifferent sensual pleasures and luxuries and untouched by jealousy, envy, mistrust or any other thought you would blush to admit.”

2. Even easier: When bombarded with intellectual junk food, pull out or look at a picture of one or more of the most important people in your life and remind yourself why you are so thankful that they walk this earth with you. Relationships are what make life worth living, and relationships mean PEOPLE (more on that in future scat). So take time to revel in your great relationships!

I am convinced that if I make no other changes this year, simply recognizing and rejecting intellectual junk food will make 2008 significantly better than 2007.

“Fly high & roar loudly”

dirk