Are you protecting your mind?

Mark Bridger, convicted of killing 5 year old April Jones yesterday, enjoyed watching child pornography on his computer. It is claimed that this poisoned his mind and shaped his behaviour. So Government advisors and others are calling on search engines, such as Google, to make it much more difficult to access to such dangerous material. 

This response, opposed by those who want everyone to have free access to all sorts of material, indicates that many experts in the field believe that what we watch affects how we behave. 

It is striking that advertisers know that this is the case. That is why they produce behaviour-changing adverts, to entice us into wanting things.

We all know that in many simple ways our own lives are shaped by the programmes that we watch, or the materials that we read. 

The question is whether we are taking any action to protect our own minds.

Obviously, St. Paul was not aware of the internet, but in some ways, things have not changed that much. So he advised his friends in Philippi to take care of their minds. 'And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.' (Philippians 4.8-9)

Each of us has the privilege and responsibility of managing the state of our own minds. We all know that what we think about affects how we behave. To keep healthy on the inside requires drastic action. But the benefits are wonderful.

Best wishes,

Richard