Often the simplest things make a profound and positive difference to a life.
I can’t remember the exact date now, but it was at some point in the first few years of this century when the proverbial penny dropped.
It seems so obvious now…but that’s the nature of self-ignorance, the cause of your biggest problems can paint itself pink, dance naked on a box and scream at the top of its lungs right in front of your eyes….and still you don’t see it.
This was one of those “light bulb” moments. An epiphany in every sense of the word. Suddenly I became aware of my habitual need to tune in, at least once a day, to “Project Fear”.
“Project Fear” is commonly referred to as the “news”. Back then, if I didn’t plug into “Project Fear” for my daily dose of toxicity when driving to work, I’d certainly get my fix by the time the evening bulletins were broadcast.
And the only reason I behaved that way is because my parents and grandparent did exactly the same. I was programmed to follow suit.
I can remember my Grandmother, who was a wonderful woman, often saying she “had” to watch the “news” at 6pm. The same rule applied for “News at Ten”.
No wonder I started my adult life as a “news junkie”, habitually conditioned to inject my fix of toxicity.
Some days, not always deliberately but it happened regardless, I’d hear the same “news” stories multiple times over and not give a second thought to the consequences (and these were the days before the emergence of 24/7 news broadcasts).
Make no mistake, those consequences are dire. Cause and effect is as unavoidable psychologically as it is physically.
We all know if you pump your carcass full of all kinds of nutritionally-bereft substances on a regular basis for long enough, the body becomes increasingly dysfunctional and eventually breaks down.
What hope then the mind?
After all, it’s only the creator of your entire life experience – including the health of your body. When it comes to your cellular health, it ain’t just the food you eat, it’s just as much the thoughts you keep.
What goes in must come out.
“Project Fear” is like a cancer in that it’s the subtlest of killers. It murders beneath the radar. It slaughters hope, ends dreams, undermines self-worth and cripples self-belief.
Long before mankind became aware of how to communicate across the medium of the molecule, the Buddha pointed the way: “Delight in heedfulness! Guard well your thoughts!”
Guard well indeed.
The day I woke up to “Project Fear” – my unconscious drug of choice – is the day my life took a quantum leap in a positive direction.
Today, this one time news junkie is “heedful” in his handling of “Project Fear”.
I don’t avoid it completely like I use to, mainly because I’m far more interested in certain topics today that I used to be (politics for one) and at times it’s an excellent source of topics to write about, but there’s been a major shift in the dynamic.
Firstly, I’m far more aware in the matter (that’ll be the “heedfulness” again) and secondly, thanks to modern technology, the medium through which I access “Project Fear” puts me firmly in control of what I’m exposed to.
Through the “BBC News App”, I get to carefully pick and choose the topics I like to be informed about, as well as how often I “plug in”, all the while being highly attentive to what’s being communicated to the mind and the potential derogatory consequences.
In this season of “goodwill to all men”, you’ll not find much of that sentiment reflected across the media. After all, “goodwill”, sadly, tends not to sell.
And as counter-intuitive as it might seem, the media aren’t to blame. They’re simply catering to what the masses demand.
And therein lies a telling observation.
“Project Fear” is our opium. We’ve been programmed to love it. Like the fear-based, man-made theological constructions that cripple mankind and sponsor all kinds of perverse insanities perpetrated on this planet, it is a monster of our own creation.
Christian Simpson is the UK’s leading coach and mentor to business owners and entrepreneurs. For COMPLIMENTARY ACCESS to tried, tested and proven entrepreneurial success strategies, click here
