Mind Control

Mind Control

Ten degrees, below zero. Bitter wind chills. Snow to shovel. Nasty head cold. Stuffy and sneezy. Coughing. But I choose to control my thinking. I choose not to ruminate on todays' struggles, real and difficult though they are. Instead, I choose to meditate on the beauty of God's creation and the wonders of his works.

Meditation exists in two primary forms. In one form, mantra-based meditation, you chant syllables in an attempt to rid your mind of all content. Rid yourself of all meaningful thought. Open yourself to experiencing the spiritual universe.

In the second form, sometimes called mindfulness-based meditation, you choose to think about rich content that overcomes your tendency to fixate on self. You meditate on the beauty of the snow. You meditate on the rich plot of the novel. You consider the tapestry of history.

In fact, mindfulness-based meditation is an ancient aspect of religious faith and practice. It is a part of Buddhism, designed to facilitate a deeper self-awareness of one's position in the larger universe. It is a part of Judaism and Christianity, receiving significant attention in the book of Psalms, especially Psalm 119. In all three faiths, the focus is on mindfulness rather than a mantra-based process of trying to empty the mind.

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” In this verse, he suggests that our thinking, our meditation, needs to be content-based, especially with positive content. Meditating on negative content (a behavior I practice far too often) should not really be called meditation; I call it rumination. Instead, we are told to meditate on the positive elements of God's being and His creation.

Fifty times in Scripture the text uses (across all translations) our English word “meditate.” In two of these cases, the content of the meditation is not indicated. For example, in Genesis 24, “He went out to the field one evening to meditate.” In the other 48 uses of the word, however, the text always indicates the content on which the meditation focuses. Sometimes the text speaks of negative content, where the meditation serves sinful and selfish purposes. In most uses of the word, however, we are told to meditate on the teaching, the works, or the person of God. Never, however, is there a clear case in which the meditation is mantra-based. Biblical examples of meditation are focused on the content of our minds.

Research in the field of psychology has investigated the impact of meditation. A current article by Madhav Goyal (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) and his colleagues (in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine) summarizes 47 clinical trials. They found no evidence that mantra-based meditation improved personal outcomes. Mindfulness-based meditation, however, provided moderate improvements in anxiety, depression, and pain and small improvements in stress and quality of life.

Goyal is quick to note that additional research and evidence is needed. The current evidence, however, suggests that meditation is a helpful strategy, but that meditation therapy should focus on mindfulness rather than a mantra-based approach.

It does matter what we think about and dwell upon. If you find yourself contemplating the mundane, the difficult, the selfish, or the painful, I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to practice mind control – control over what we choose to think about. Again, as Paul instructed, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

By Rebecca Hagelin

Culture Challenge of the Week: No Future for our Kids?

President Obama recently warned Americans that too many members of our society never climb the ladder to success – they're defeated before they even begin. When children have no future, it poses “a fundamental threat to the American Dream, our way of life, and what we stand for around the globe.”http://patriotpost.us/opinion/www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/04/remarks-president-economic-mobility

He actually got that right.

According to a recent Pew study, “[m]ore than 40 percent of Americans raised in the bottom quintile of the family income ladder remain stuck there as adults.”http://patriotpost.us/opinion/www.pewstates.org/research/reports/pursuing-the-american-dream-85899403228

It's a tragedy to see human potential go to waste – young lives with talent, heart, and desire falling by the wayside, stuck in poverty and dysfunction.

The real question is we must ask is “why?”

Liberals like President Obama emphasize the factors that fit the Democrat narrative: income inequality, race segregation, and failing schools are to blame. Certainly those factors place obstacles in a child's way. But the left ignores the most important factor relevant to a child's success: an intact family. Our history is full of the stories of Americans who succeeded in spite of being born into poverty, suffering racial discrimination, and enduring sub-standard schools. Their success hinged not on government programs but on the people – the families – behind them.

If poor children are less likely to climb the ladder of success today, it's because our society has failed to confront the cause: the American family has crumbled, particularly among the urban poor. Hollywood liberals and Manhattan elites glibly promote the secular autonomous lifestyle: serial sexual relationships, single parenthood, and irreligion. High incomes and privilege cushion them from the consequences of their choices. The poor are not so lucky. And the children born into poverty suffer the most.

The latest research shows that family instability produces the strongest correlation with lack of upward mobility.http://patriotpost.us/opinion/obs.rc.fas.harvard.edu/chetty/mobility_geo.pdf

 According to a study by researchers at Harvard and Berkeley, “family structure correlates with upward mobility not just at the individual level but also at the community level, perhaps because the stability of the social environment affects children's outcomes more broadly.”http://patriotpost.us/opinion/www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/01/new_harvard_study_where_is_the_land_of_opportunity_finds_broken_families.html

Plainly put: children need strong families made up of a mother and a father. When they grow up in a household lacking one or the other, they do far worse. What's more, when kids grow up in a neighborhood full of other families that lack two parents, the child's prospects suffer. Just as divorce is contagious, the harmful effects of family instability are 'contagious' within the wider community as well.

The positive take-away, according to W. Bradford Wilcox of the National Marriage Project, is that, “[I]t looks like a married village is more likely to raise the economic prospects of a poor child.”

How to Save Your Family: Keep It Together

The divorce culture in which we live is a major contributor to the problem, but it's only a portion of the complete picture. The divorce rate among better-educated Americans has actually fallen, while the rate of cohabitation and divorce among lower income Americans has sky rocketed.  And the culture of free and easy sex, with little commitment, meaning, or regard for consequences has been a devastating contributor to the formation of unstable families as well as subsequent family breakdown.

Even so, there's much we can do to build a strong marriage culture within our own circles and family networks. Each of us has a role to play in strengthening the American family. Nurture your our own marital relationships in common sense ways, making time for each other and practicing the small daily kindnesses that touch hearts and lighten burdens. Seek counseling and spiritual support if your relationship is struggling. (In my experience, couples may pursue 'professional' help but neglect to ask friends and family for the prayers and spiritual guidance they need.) By all means, if you need outside help get it – start with great resources like MyFamilyTalk.com and FamilyLIfe.com. And, take a few minutes to visit MarriageSavers.org to find out how you can help strengthen marriages in your entire community with proven methods that work.

If your marriage has weathered the test of time, consider becoming a marriage mentor. Young couples need the witness and wisdom of more experienced couples who can encourage and guide them towards a fulfilling, lasting relationship.

Finally, help foster a culture of sexual integrity among young people, through churches, after-school groups, and community outreach. We know that habitual sexual license produces poor soil for growing a lasting and fulfilling relationship. Mom and dads, not come-and-go “partners,” make the difference in a child's future. For great materials and support in this effort, visit Abstinence.net, the site of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, an effective and dynamic organization with proven results.

This is America, where every child deserves a chance, and every child's “chance” depends on family.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX,LIVE OUTSIDE THE CAGE