Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary Pollard

Being well-informed is an essential part of remaining free. Without an understanding – from reliable sources – of what’s going on in the world, we make ourselves vulnerable to deception. That said, it’s my humble opinion that we need a news detox/vacation. 

• We need a detox because virtually all information sources pander to their political audiences. 
• We need a detox because most reports are negative, defamatory, or otherwise divisive. 
• We need a detox because it’s caused many to determine a person’s value by their opinions on current issues. 
• We need a detox because it’s increasingly affecting our churches. 
• We need a detox because God expects us to love people (Phil 2.3-4; Gal 6.10; I Cor 13.4-7). Being constantly bombarded with reasons to dislike others doesn’t help. 
• We need a detox because there’s so much more to life than politics and negativity. It’s much harder to appreciate or recognize positivity if we’ve overdosed on current events. 
• We need a detox because constant exposure has not done anything good for our mental health. 

Please don’t see this as a suggestion to live under a rock. That helps no one. Instead, see it as an opportunity to step back, cool off, and recalibrate how we view other people. It simply cannot hurt society to have more patience, compassion, and empathy!