We are what we eat

Many of us are very, very picky about the food we eat: whether it’s the way our breakfast eggs are prepared, what brand of coffee we use, or where and how our fruits and vegetables are grown. When it comes to our meals, we always want the best-quality ingredients, and rightly so.

So why are we so indiscriminate when it comes to the stuff we feed to our intellect?

Too often we read books and watch movies that are, at best, a waste of time, and at worst, do very real damage to our minds and hearts. Too many times in the past, I’ve finished a story or show with a bad taste in my mouth, and sometimes with a soul-ache that takes a long time to heal.

I think part of the problem is that intellectual junk food is often disguised as the good stuff. The Da Vinci Code (so I’ve heard) is a breathless page-turner. The hit TV show Glee seems to be no better than a soap opera; the reason why the suds go down easy is because they’re sugar-coated with great music. “Even the ones that realize the themes aren’t the best are under the assumption that they are not impacted by these ideals and it’s just the music they are tuning in for,” Tiger Print’s Katie Hinderer observes about this show.

We need to be very careful about the ideas we ingest. Bad ideas are as sticky as tar, are never fully digestible, and are all the more dangerous because their effects are much more subtle than a stomach-ache or food poisoning.

And when in doubt, consult an expert you can trust. As with everything in life, it’s always the best policy.

Click here for Katie Hinderer’s full comment on Glee.
To look up books and movies, go to http://www.almudi.org/.

And for some good ideas, check out Hot Topics, Food for Thought, and The Daily Watch, above. 


We are what we eat