Faith

Day 25: The One That Really Ticked Me Off

123RF

Last Updated on June 24, 2016

For the past 24 installments of my takes on the book 100 Days of Integrity for Men, I’ve really enjoyed the devotionals and they’ve made me do much more spiritually-related thinking than I might have done otherwise.

What I’ve tried to do here is not pull any direct material from the book itself, other than a quote here or there; instead, I wanted to reflect on the topic from my own perspective.

Today’s reading, however, is not only a position with which I disagree, it’s one that I find absolutely absurd.

The title of this reading is, “The Media Tears Down Character.”

I suppose I should have seen it coming.

It reads, in part:

“The media is working around the clock to rearrange your priorities. The media says that possessions are all-important and that ‘fun’ is the ultimate object of life.”

It’s the ultimate cop-out to blame the media for this kind of thing. Banks want you to spend your money while going into debt, yet the Bible says you shouldn’t go into debt. Yet the book isn’t going after banks. Car dealers entice you with big promotions to buy bigger and bigger vehicles, whether you need the excess or not. But the book doesn’t attack car dealers. The list goes on and on.

There are definitely messages in the media that go against Christian morals. But there are messages outside the media that do the same thing.

Taking pot shots at “the media”&nbsp does nothing about them.

It also misses a much more important point: it isn’t the media’s job to keep you on track. It is not the responsibility of the media to pass along some sort of guide for proper living, nor has it ever been, even when shows like Leave it to Beaver were the hits of the day.

And that’s exactly how it should be. After all, in a society where everyone — even the author of a devotional — is so quick to badmouth the media, would anyone really trust the media to do so? I doubt it.

As I’ve stated before, the media is a mirror on society: it doesn’t create attitudes so much as reflect ones that are already there. It helps some grow, sure, but if what was depicted wasn’t already on people’s minds, those ideas would never take hold.

No one ever said that the lifestyles depicted in the media are ideal; even those stories surrounding people who seem to have it all rarely indicate that there’s no strife to be had.

Rather than just offering blanket condemnation of “the media,”&nbsp why not turn it into “teachable moments”&nbsp that remind us all that having more often means having much, much less.

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.