It is so easy to get distracted with all the happenings in the world with regard to what is evil, and what is not desired. Media very much reflects the human’s reticular activation to what is dangerous and harmful. We are more likely, if we let our nature control us, to consider the negatives of a thing before the positive. Even though the ratio will be startlingly in favour of a thing being advantageous, we will tend to focus on what lies against it and the things which threaten it.

But if we let our nature control us and if we mindlessly consume the media, we will fall into a state of negative, pessimistic thinking. The ‘news’ is nothing but a means to reinforcing the belief that the world is filled with evil alone, and that evil fearfully prevails in spite of the good. Especially if we consume it regularly and enjoy talking and discussing the news, we will become more receptive to what is dangerous and evil, but to a degree where we only see what is evil and bad, and nothing else.

Sadly, we adopt this frame with the intention of being practical, sagacious, cautious, and what is most hideous of all - realistic. But all of it is a vain attempt at defending this state of blindness which we have somehow convinced ourselves to be advantageous - like a perfectly healthy man walking with his eyes closed under the impression that it will ‘improve’ his hearing.

Curating Perception

The fact that we see imperfections and become disheartened means that we have missed so much that really was perfect. Why do we always forget that so much of the successes which we take for granted could have failed at any point: waking up to another day; breathing every breath to sustain life; crossing the road without getting hit by a car; driving without getting smashed from some reckless accident; being able to use your wrist, hands, fingers, legs, knees, toes, back to work in harmony with the brain to perform those simplest tasks such as picking up a pencil - but to have it work for your command every moment you breathe; being able to talk and communicate your thoughts with others and have them understand you; live every busy moment without needing to worry about being robbed, threatened, assaulted, hit, kidnapped, stabbed, or shot! What infinite blessings to dwell on!

But then to only talk, dwell or even entertain those things which are frustrating, painful, burdensome, irritating and inconvenient, is nothing but to dream and lose consciousness!

Everytime we catch ourselves overwhelmed by the fear of what lies ahead of us, jealous of what others have but we don’t have, or seem to be focusing on something that didn’t go right - and we catch ourselves animated talking about these things - remember we are addicted to negative thinking!

Curate this mode of perception instead. - We get to struggle against life’s difficulties because we are struggling for what is good; things are hard and take time because they require skills yet to be acquired; the pain, weakness, fatigue, disability that I have is a means to focus on life‘s immediate moment rather than some stray jealous or anxious thought; everything which I have is enough, and God has given to me in abundance; the deaths resulting from war, death, violence, madness, even accidents - all of this is to show us how fragile our life is and that our every waking moment is a decisive miracle by God and by God ultimately.

Let us practice thinking this way, curating our thoughts with special attention. The more we curate our thoughts towards gratitude and perseverance, we more meaningful will become every task we will do.