The news media is something I’ve grown to despise over the years. I used to watch it almost nightly, but it’s all doom and gloom. There’s rarely a good thing they report on. It’s not a wonder people are so depressed. The only thing the news media and television in general want to glorify are terrible things. Reality tv is another thing I hate. Why do you want to watch a bunch of people and their problems? Life is tough, but filling your head with dribble like that can make it tougher. What you feed into your mind eventually takes shape in your spirit. It can either lift you up or drag you down.

These days I personally prefer watching shows that aren’t based on “reality”. But really, I think “reality” shows are not reality at all. Ok, maybe for some it is, but they find the worst of the worst to go on those shows most of the time. Most average people are not like those people at all. With all the terrible things that the news media and these series show their audience, it’s no wonder people have fallen under the impression that there is no good left in this world. If bad things are all you see, then yeah, that’s what’s going to absorb your thoughts and sour your mood. Bad things go into you, and bad things will come out.

There was a very good reason for the Lord to say be cautious with what you fill your mind with.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV) Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy–think about such things.

Now this isn’t to say you go around being ignorant of all that goes on around you. Not at all, it just means don’t fill your head full of all the negative. Do not dwell on the negative. Focus on something greater than these bad things. When you switch your thinking you’ll notice your mood will be better, you’ll have a more positive outlook on life, and life is much more enjoyable (even during the dark times).

I’ve gotten caught up by the bad things, they brought me down. All I could think about was how miserable life can be, rather than appreciating what life is. These thoughts got me to quit thinking about the good things in my own life. I lost my focus on God, quit seeing the beauty around me, and all the little joys there are in life; when I did, I got depressed and it just spirals down from there.

Whether you believe in God or not, this is a good principle to live by, and if you haven’t tried, you should. It can and will make a difference. This doesn’t just apply to tv either, but it’s one of the major things, next to the internet, that influences people. It’s impossible to avoid everything bad, but that doesn’t mean that that’s all we have to think about and dwell on.