Podcast: https://bit.ly/4notu8S
The society we live in is another source of fear.
- It’s increasingly common for politicians to stoke fear, real or imagined, to raise funds and garner votes.
- The media’s “If it bleeds, it leads” model means we get an unbalanced view of the world, with disproportionately more stories that cause fear.
- The internet is awash with lies, exaggerations, and conspiracy theories, many of which are scary.
And sadly, we may get some of the same from religious sources. Some are playing the same power games as the world, trying to use fear to control people. Others are overreacting to real issues, making something that should be a concern into a disaster. Sort of like when I was young and some folks were convinced that listening to rock and roll music was the unforgivable sin.
The solution to all of this is first to dig for the truth, and second to realise God is in control.
Finding the truth is both easier and harder than it used to be. The Internet makes it easy to find information. But since anyone can post anything, you have to be careful. As a silly example, I recently had someone tell me Tesla now had a $15,000 tiny home. I wasn’t buying it, and I was right. No such item exists, and Musk has never said they will build one. Turns out there are multiple YouTube videos that purport to show it does exist. They have modified or AI generated images and video clips. Full on lies, being passed on as fact. (Info here, if you care.)
Another good choice is to learn to let go of things over which you have no power. Yes, there are a lot of bad things going on in the world. I speak up about a few, and make donations to help with some. But for the most part, I can’t do anything beyond praying. So I do that and move on. The positive side of this is to chose something, or a few things, you can change, and work hard at those. For me, that is helping marriages, both online and in real life at my church. I’m also on the board of directors for a local food bank. Helping others makes me feel good about life, and it gives me something positive to focus on.
~ This is Paul, and the truth still sets us free!
Just for fun:
Image Credit: © Paul H Byerly created with ideogram.ai & Paul Byerly
Shop Amazon
We’re donation supported Thanks for your help!
This post may contain affiliate links, see my disclosure for info.
