We Are What We Think

So, the other day on my way to work, I was listening to NPR - what I in the past have called, "National Pagan Radio".  Through my husband, I have come to actually enjoy listening to some of the news segments.  It may be a cliche to say that you will hear news on NPR that you won't hear on other news reports - a la Fox News; but it is true.  I haven't listened to Fox News in quite some time now, for it seems like no matter who you listen to, they love to sensationalize everything.  Not so with NPR.

Anyway, the segment that caught my attention the other day was about a study that was done in the 1940's called the Clark Doll Experiment. From wikipedia:  "The Clarks' doll experiments grew out of Mamie Clark's master's degree thesis. They published three major papers between 1939 and 1940 on children's self perception related to race. Their studies found contrasts among African-American children attending segregated schools in Washington, DC versus those in integrated schools in New York.^[10] The doll experiment involved a child being presented with two dolls. Both of these dolls were completely identical except for the skin and hair color. One doll was white with yellow hair, while the other was brown with black hair.^[11] The child was then asked questions inquiring as to which one is the doll they would play with, which one is the nice doll, which one looks bad, which one has the nicer color, etc. The experiment showed a clear preference for the white doll among all children in the study.^[12] These findings exposed internalized racism in African-American children, self-hatred that was more acute among children attending segregated schools."

I found this study fascinating.  How did these (presumably) young girls establish such things in their mind?  I would hope that their families would show and/or tell them that they were of worth, that they were nice, and not bad, etc. I don't know what each family was like; or even if the girls had a stable family.  And I can only imagine that society back them told them otherwise; as I believe that racism was very much alive and well in those years.

It got me to thinking.  How much garbage  do we allow from our society into our heads?  How much do we believe and then act upon?  As a Christian, especially, it seems like the message of the Bible and of Jesus Himself is the exact opposite of the goods that the world tries to peddle.  Like these young girls in the study above, how much of this pollution do we allow to come into our brains and settle into our hearts without even giving it a second glance?  I suspect quite a bit, honestly. 

As I grow older and older, both chronologically and in my Christian faith, I realize that the only constant truth we have in this world is the Bible and God Himself - through Jesus Christ.  Everything has changed so much in the 50+ years that I have been a part of this world - so the world certainly isn't a constant.  Things that I learned in high school are no longer true.  So we can't bank on worldly truth. 

So, on this Good Friday, 2012, I come back to the truth that happened about 2000 years ago - that Christ was crucified on the cross - He died for my sins, and for yours, my faithful readers (all 1 of you, LOL); and was resurrected on Easter Sunday to sit at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for us.  He did all this because he loves me, he loves you - and that is the foundation of the truth.  All other statements must rest on that one truth. 

So I choose today, to meditate and concentrate on that truth.  By cramming my head full of God's truth, the only truth that matters, I hope that the lies that have been renting space there will be evicted.  I know they've been there for quite some time; and have settled nicely in; but the truth will push them out like yesterday's garbage.