When I was little and our family gathered to watch TV, we’d watch the ads since the mute button hadn’t been invented yet. My mother would point out the omissions in them like “What aren’t they telling us?” or “What about the other choices?” or “Why don’t they try that beauty product on a 50 year old?” Through her constant awareness and outspoken comments we learned not to trust advertisements and to look beyond what we were told. We learned that what wasn’t said was as important as what was focused on. We learned to look for the bigger picture. That lesson has served me well.
Ads and news media operate with the same goals. They both intend to guide you in the direction they want you to go. They lead you into their agenda, not necessarily the best one for you. Ads tell you you’re not loveable if you don’t use their brand of mint; wear their jeans; or use their perfume. Their products may not be healthy, of good value or even well made. The hook is emotional; a fear of unlovability. They happily lead people like sheep to the slaughter on the altar of credit card debt, lack of self worth and impressing others in order to be loved. Truth in advertisement is almost non existent. They offer information but are really offering disinformation.
News media tells you a version of the reasons for wars, debt, spending, crime and drugs; but these are only the rationale they want you to believe. They may have nothing whatsoever to do with truth. You are being guided and directed, slowly, a little lie here, a little untruth there, using confusing disinformation, until you buy their big lies. We are now realizing that the secret agendas of those who covet money and power have manipulated information regarding politics, big business and military cover-ups. We only need look at Enron and Roswell to see the tip of the iceberg as to how we’ve been fooled and lied to. The truth is available via discerning sites on the internet and via your own knowing. But you have to turn off the news to reach your quiet, internal knowing.
These well trained manipulators use a dollop of truth to cover up the many falsehoods in their stories. Best of all is when the reporter believes what they write is ‘in the best interest of the public’ and becomes a pawn in someone else’s agenda by rearranging one or more facts. Believing they know best what the public wants, can handle or needs, keeps them giving editorial prozac to us. We can choose to stop taking these drugged stories by turning off the TV or radio. Limit your bad-news addiction.
Have you noticed that in order to attract viewers, TV shows have become increasingly graphic? Recently, bored in a hotel room, I watched CSI for the first time. I was shocked and by the end I felt sick. How do people watch these graphic horrors I asked myself. They had to be inured to it. Little by little with graphic news, graphic movies and horror films, fear is instilled, then constantly resupplied, causing these junkies to need another fix. Shows that raise the shock level, leaving nothing to the imagination, are created to satisfy that addiction.You can wake up! Ask yourself why such shows don’t bother you? Millions of acts of kindness, generosity and love happen daily. The media chooses to focus on a minority of dreadful things. They are not the norm; yet media would have you think them commonplace. Why? Fear sells. If you are fearful, you can be manipulated and lied to easily. If you are fearful you will buy their products to stop being afraid. If you are fearful you will look to others to make your choices for you. If you are afraid, you cannot connect with your internal peaceful guidance that alerts you to lies. If you stay afraid, you become stuck in their agenda. That is the real goal of disinformation, your willing obedience. For many, being scared is an addiction that makes them feel alive. Personally I’d rather feel alive by having homemade cookies, a great meal or wild laughter with friends.
When you turn off the media and the external input, you are then free to ponder, to ask questions inside yourself and to reach that part of you that has wisdom. Your heart. Your feelings. Your gut. You are a storehouse of imagination and feeling. By mulling things over you can begin to notice the holes in the information you have heard. You become wise. You learn to trust your intuition.
There is an old bumper sticker saying “Question Authority”. Perhaps it should read “Question Information”.
