One of the fastest ways to expand your world and to further yourself along the spiritual path is to read. Reading is one of the quickest ways to expand your mind and your world. You heard it when you were young and you are admonished when you have young ones, “read, read, read”. In a culture where receiving information from the television is the norm, you will find yourself on the cutting edge when you move from a passive to an active way of learning.
Television can be used to learn in an interactive way, but more often than not it is the tool of mass hypnosis in that one remains passive while taking in information. It is somewhat like an IV infusion. Reading, however, requires that you engage with the ideas and involve your mind in what you are seeing. It is active. It is a far superior way to taking in information and could be compared more to the act of eating.
Many people cite busyness as the reason for not reading and yet at the end of a busy day we still find time to eat. Can you imagine coming home and saying, “I’m really tired. I think that I’ll just stick this needle into my arm and take a few bags of sugared saline solution instead of spending all that energy to chew up that yummy green salad, warm chunky bread, and delicious, savory pasta!” But, in essence, that’s what we often do when looking at how we are going to feed our minds—we go for the IV infusion instead of the real food.
Do you ever find yourself saying, “That book looks pretty interesting, but you know, I think I’ll just watch the news instead.” The problem with this is that someone else has already done the research, reading, and deciding for you. You are just spoon fed someone else’s take on the world. In fact, it’s a pretty negative take for the most part. And you wonder why you’re depressed!
Choosing the books you are going to educate your mind with is one of the most powerful choices you make in your life. Books are life changing. Or they can be if we take the time to utilize this powerful tool.
So here is my “green” challenge of the week. Read for 30 minutes instead of watching the news. Just for one night to start with. If you’re afraid you’ll miss out on something major, trust me, the rest of the world will let you know. The only thing you’ll miss out on is the nightly dose of negativity. You might even find that you learn something exciting and are inspired to do something positive for the world.
Do something great for yourself today, read a good book!
Television can be used to learn in an interactive way, but more often than not it is the tool of mass hypnosis in that one remains passive while taking in information. It is somewhat like an IV infusion. Reading, however, requires that you engage with the ideas and involve your mind in what you are seeing. It is active. It is a far superior way to taking in information and could be compared more to the act of eating.
Many people cite busyness as the reason for not reading and yet at the end of a busy day we still find time to eat. Can you imagine coming home and saying, “I’m really tired. I think that I’ll just stick this needle into my arm and take a few bags of sugared saline solution instead of spending all that energy to chew up that yummy green salad, warm chunky bread, and delicious, savory pasta!” But, in essence, that’s what we often do when looking at how we are going to feed our minds—we go for the IV infusion instead of the real food.
Do you ever find yourself saying, “That book looks pretty interesting, but you know, I think I’ll just watch the news instead.” The problem with this is that someone else has already done the research, reading, and deciding for you. You are just spoon fed someone else’s take on the world. In fact, it’s a pretty negative take for the most part. And you wonder why you’re depressed!
Choosing the books you are going to educate your mind with is one of the most powerful choices you make in your life. Books are life changing. Or they can be if we take the time to utilize this powerful tool.
So here is my “green” challenge of the week. Read for 30 minutes instead of watching the news. Just for one night to start with. If you’re afraid you’ll miss out on something major, trust me, the rest of the world will let you know. The only thing you’ll miss out on is the nightly dose of negativity. You might even find that you learn something exciting and are inspired to do something positive for the world.
Do something great for yourself today, read a good book!
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