Beware that when fighting monsters you yourself do not become a monster. For when you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

 

I’ve been thinking about this quote.

 

I was listening to the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children.

 

And I found myself scrolling, listening to commentators, and taking in more and more about the case.

 

And it was so much.

 

I could feel my mind thinking about all of these things, and honestly, I didn’t want them in my mind.

 

I was becoming obsessed, distracted, and irratated like I was hunting a monster.

 

So I did a few practices that helped me get clear.

 

And this thought came to me, “I don’t need to know more about these things; These things need prayer.”

 

So I prayed.

 

I prayed for everyone involved.

 

I prayed that we could learn from this and hold our kids closer.

 

And I prayed that things like this wouldn’t consume our lives.

 

You see, there is so much good in the world that we never hear about.

 

But the monstrous things get the limelight.

 

And that can make us think the world is bad.

 

But that’s not true.

 

There is so much news that happens in a day, but we rarely hear about all the good things.

 

The terrible things get broadcasted.

 

And we end up hunting these monsters in our minds, staring into the abyss of these news stories.

 

And what does that do to us?

 

For me, it made me depressed.

 

I felt dark, lost, and hopeless.

 

So what about people who are not affected by these stories?

 

I know many people like this.

 

They are used to putting all kinds of things like this in their minds.

 

One woman told me she watches crime shows all the time, that’s it’s entertaining to her.

 

I’d like to say she’s odd but the research shows that we watch about 100,000 murder and violent acts through the various media we consume.

 

And how doesn’t this affect us and shape our worldview?

 

It very much does.

 

There is also a physiological response that happens when we hear bad news that makes us more alert and we want to know more.

 

This is called doom scrolling and it can be addictive and certainly unhealthy for us.

 

So be careful with the things that are shown to you.

 

Your mind can easily be led into places you never imagined it could, especially with today's tecnology.

 

An Antidote to Doom Scrolling:

 

There is also an opposite side to the quote.

 

If, when we look into an abyss, the abyss looks into us, then the same can be true of beauty, love, peace, and joy.

 

When we fill our minds with high-quality material, with spiritual things, with things that build love and peace, those things look into us too.

 

We become them.

 

So it really is a decision for each person to make.

 

What are we going to allow into our minds and hearts?

 

I choose to fill my mind with good and share that good.

 

I am not saying to not stay informed or to bury your head in the sand, but to consciously choose what goes into your mind as seriously, if not more, than what goes into your body.

 

Junk in junk out.

 

Healthy in, healthy out.

 

So what’s your experience?

 

 

And more importantly, what will you decide to focus on?

 

If you would like to discuss this more, hit the "book a free call button" here http://bertastacio,com  

 

Wishing you all good things,

 

Bert

Be careful when hunting monsters. Reflection on Lindsay Clancy & the effects of media on our minds - YouTube