By Rev. Glenn Neil Stocking
Another senseless act of terrorism has the media in an uproar this morning. What we know at this moment is that twelve are dead and there are four additional victims of apparently two shooters with automatic weapons in a Paris magazine office. Those are the horrible facts of an unfolding story. Yet with hours of air time to fill the pundits are rolling out every shade of speculation, comparison and party line talking point they can exhume.
These are “news” programs so it is necessary for them to report the facts and they are commentators so it is expected they would provide some background and comparison. What is important is that we as viewers recognize the immediacy of the reporting and the total lack of contextual information available at the scene. In a few minutes of viewing the same several seconds of footage have been run repeatedly as the commentators voiced their speculations. Finally, breaking news, they now had an audio clip where gunfire could be heard in the distance.
Time to change the channel. Do we really need to hear a recording of the gunfire? Do we need to experience the terror of the victims to get the point of the futility of the act? Is it really breaking news that this extra layer of experience is now available to us? Change the channel and redirect our thinking to know that Spirit is fully present in the medical workers tending the victims, in the police as they work their process and especially for the families of the fallen as they come to grips with this unexpected turn in their lives.
This is the news today, but it reflects the news of our daily lives. How often do we react armed with just a handful of facts and buckets of speculation? How often do we tell our stories making the fish bigger and bigger with each reiteration? How often do we fill in the lack of information with beliefs that have not been vetted or even appropriate to the occurrence?
Our heads are filled with pundits. Our parents, families, co-workers and friends are happy to share their opinions and influence our beliefs. “Ain’t it awful” is easy to fuel and popular in every social setting. We seek out the gory details and compete to escalate the horror.
Research indicates that likeminded people reinforce their opinions in the direction of their extremes pulling factions of reason farther and farther apart. Change the channel. If an extreme position is your fate, then surround yourself with loving people. Shun the company of speculation, suspicion and fear. We can equip ourselves with an air of empowerment that allows us to experience the effects of the world without losing our connection to our spiritual selves.
We can walk among the disenfranchised, the fearful and lost souls of our communities and be a beacon of Truth. “Onward Christian Soldiers” speaks to this truth in the form of song reminding us that our Christ nature is not defined by our crucifixions, but by our resurrections. Be aware, be engaged, and most important be brave enough to change the channel.
Learn more about your spiritual truth, spiritual empowerment and your Christ nature at a Center For Spiritual Living in your community or on line starting at CSL.org or CSLFTL.org.