Thought for the day – Saturday 25th July 2020
Does what you read or hear make a difference to you? How much are your opinions swayed by the media? – I was contemplating this question in connection with the current pandemic. If I had no connection with the outside world, if I had no newspaper or television or radio, if I lived as a recluse, I would have no knowledge of all that is going on in the world and my way of living, and my state of mind, would be unlikely to change.
If, as is the case, I am bombarded with (mostly depressing) news of the state of the country and of the world, I start to question my lifestyle in all kinds of areas, and could easily be overcome by negative feelings. If we care about the future of this world, we do need to listen to what others have to say – and yet at the same time, we need to use our own ability to reason and make our own decisions. Not always easy, when some people have great powers of persuasion.
What a responsibility it is to realise what a profound effect each of us has on those we meet, how a few words can change a mood or a whole relationship in an instant, for good or bad. How easy it is to affect other people by our own positive or negative attitude to life.
We read in the Bible about the effect Jesus had on those He met, on those who talked to Him and listened to Him – how He affected individuals and whole crowds by His love for people, by His way of life, by His passion for justice.
Now that really is the example to follow.