What is Your Mind Eating?

Comic strips are funny because they blatantly poke fun at the things that people do and the way in which we live. When I first came across this one I chuckled at first, but then thought, "Why did I think that was funny?" When I really began to consider what this comic is saying, I realized it's not funny at all. This is the ugly truth! I could start preaching right about now about how the media (movies, video games, MTV, etc.) is poisoning the minds of young people today and as Christians we should only watch G rated movies and I Love Lucy reruns, but I'm not going to do that. But, this comic does bring some questions to mind. Do violent media propagate violent people? Does playing violent video games increase ones chance of acting out violently in everyday life? Does watching teen movies saturated with sex encourage teens to act on what they see?

Here are my thoughts on the matter. Media do not cause anyone to do anything. However, media that we allow into our minds absolutely have some influence on our thought life. As a counseling major I think it is important to monitor for ourselves what we are putting into our minds. Mental health should be valued just as physical health is. If you eat junk food, you will not be a bad person, but you will be an unhealthy one. The same goes for the mind. If you watch, read, or listen to junk, your mind will be unhealthy. As counselors in training we must be aware of what we are allowing into our minds and how our thoughts influence our feelings and decisions. How can we expect our clients to manage their thoughts if we do not do the same? "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, what ever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things" Philippians 4:8.