crazy

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The Media Is Driving Me Crazy

I feel that taking a break from all media sources might help calm my mind and my emotions. 

Media Is Driving Me Crazy

In order for me to do that, I need to turn off the radio in my car, my television set at home, and all social media feeds on my computer, tablet and cell phone. 

That would be extreme living for me … and all in a bad way.

I’ve heard of people living off the grid, moving to some remote place where they have to hike in on foot, and setting up a yurt after they cut down a bunch of trees in the middle of a pine forest. 

They live on vegetables that they grow and fish that they catch. Every month or so they treat themselves to a trip to a city to really experience life.

You know I’m just kidding. 

For all my off-the-grid readers, how do you even get this blog? 

At least the off-the-gridders can be selective with the media they are exposed to. In the last couple of days I’ve been so frustrated with what I’ve heard in the media that I’m ready do something, but don’t what to do or whom to do it to. 

All the impeachment talk concerning President Trump has me itching to impeach the media …Could someone actually do that?

I’m not saying for one moment that Trump didn’t do something wrong, but let’s not jump to the conclusion before we have the whole story.

The conclusion is where everyone is. Even the NDP candidate running for the PM of Canada is calling for Donald Trump to be impeached. 

It’s all emotion based on information provided from someone we don’t know … information that still has yet to be verified as all true and accurate.

For all I know, what we are being told is true, but most likely it’s partially true or mostly true. 

Remember the prince in the Princess Bride who was only mostly dead? I think what we are being fed fits somewhere in that category of not being completely true or false, just mostly one or the other. 

But the media is talking about it as if it has all been proven true. They even interpret some of Trump’s words from the phone recording in ways that exaggerate what was said. 

It stirs people’s emotions and builds a hype that creates a unified voice that judges and condemns before any real investigation or trial has done its job. 

What the media is doing is building strong support for something that is based mostly on opinion at this point … their opinion! 

And when that opinion catches wind, they stir the embers and fan their opinion flame into a bonfire, maybe even a wild fire that can’t be stopped. 

Opinion is not truth. It might be true, but it’s not true until it is proven. When opinion becomes truth before it is proven, that’s what you call North American news. 

They hold up their right to inform the people, but they are really only forming the people to their opinion. 

Here’s the thing: Some people’s belief systems are based on opinion. Their opinion of God seems to be truth to them, even though they have never taken the time to prove their opinion one way or the other. All of us should question how we have let our opinion of God rule our relationship with Him, rather than seeking proof of God in our relationship with Him. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What opinion of God do you have that needs to be challenged? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I Was Driving Myself Crazy

I came to realize about a month or so ago that my driving was leaving much to be desired. It’s not that I can’t negotiate a left hand turn, or parallel park my car. The handling of my automobile is just fine.

stop texing

It was my attitude behind the wheel that left much to be desired. I found I was getting too upset when I drove; other drivers did things that literally were driving me crazy.

But that wasn’t healthy for me, or for others on the road, and it wasn’t showing me to be under God’s control either. So over the last month or so, I’ve taken some measures.

I’ve slowed down, and consciously thought, “I don’t need to race to where I’m going”. I’ve started to allow more room between my car and the vehicle in front of me.

Life’s been good. Well . . . that is until the other day when I found myself behind a car with a bumper sticker in the shape of a stop sign that read, “STOP TEXTING”.

My wife will tell you that I’m not very good at texting and driving, though that’s just the back seat driver in her talking.

But seriously, I try not to text while I’m driving. I use a bluetooth speaker to make and receive calls, so when I read the bumper sticker, it didn’t dawn on me that the sticker was shouting out at me.

However, after following the car for only a few seconds, the sticker was actually shouting out at that car’s driver. I found myself reading the sticker and then looking in disbelief at the driver through her rear window.

She wasn’t paying attention to the road! When the way was clear to make a right hand turn, I could see her head bent down. She crossed the line a couple of times, again doing what looked like bending down to get something.

One car beside her had to move over for fear of getting sideswiped.

I read the sign again, “STOP TEXTING” and said (in a calm voice, because now my attitude was in check), “Ya, stop doing whatever you’re doing and drive”.

Eventually I pulled up in the other lane and passed her. I thought it might be better if she was behind me rather than directly in front of me … FAR behind me.

I took a look at her as I went by; she seemed oblivious to how she’d been driving. She didn’t look like a texter. She had grey hair – the majority of her hair was quite grey. Enough said.

I don’t think she was texting. I do think that she believes it’s very dangerous to text while driving and that it angers her to see someone doing it.

But after driving behind her for a few minutes, I wished she had a sticker on her car that read, “KEEP YOUR EYES ABOVE THE DASHBOARD”, maybe even a bobble head sign that sat on her dashboard.

As I glanced behind me, I realized my blood pressure hadn’t risen a bit. Now that’s progress!

Here’s the thing: We might get upset with those that text and drive because it’s distracting and dangerous. Whatever she was doing was also distracting and dangerous. … It’s easy to see the sin in other people. But if seeing their sin gets you angry, then evaluate yourself. There’s a good chance you are harbouring a similar sin. Deal with your sin, and you will find compassion to help others deal with theirs instead of judging them.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you learned about yourself by watching others? Leave your comment below.