About a month ago I participated in a Meditation Retreat. It was held at a place called “Christ’s Peace House of Prayer” in Easton, Kansas. If that sounds like it is way out in the middle of nowhere, it’s because it is. I have been to few places as quiet in my 66 years. You could almost hear your own heartbeat. So it was extremely quiet. To make it even more quiet our instructors asked that we bring no cell phones, tablets or computers and that we all commit ourselves to not speaking during the three days we would be together. It was a very nice experience, and I certainly benefitted from it.

On the drive home I thought about how I might preserve my newfound sense of calm and decided that I would refrain from watching all television, and listening to radio and media of every kind for a while. I do get on the internet and spend short time’s on social platforms for marketing my business, but by and large, I have been able to stick with my decision. After 30 days I have to say that it was, and still is the right decision. In fact I highly recommend everyone to turn off the “devices” that demand their attention almost 24 hours a day.

Our brains are like sponges that soak up everything around us. They do this whether we are actively trying to soak things up or not. We are designed to do this. It is instinctive and we do not have nearly the control over it that we like to think we do. Advertisers know this. In fact they bank on it. Repeat the same message constantly over time and our minds begin to accept the message sub consciously, even if we reject it consciously. Media, whether it is television, radio or internet all have one goal. To make money selling advertising. So our minds are bombarded 24 hours a day with the relentless message that we should buy this car, take these pills, eat this food, and on and on and on.

It never stops. It never let’s up, and here is the truly insane thing about it: we love it, we want it and we can’t get enough of it. Look around you any day of the week and notice how many people on the street are hunched over their cell phones totally oblivious to their surroundings. Look at folks in their cars. Next time you are stopped at a light, take a good look. If you don’t see at least two people using their phone at that moment, I would be very surprised. This is just phones. Television is pretty much the same except much larger. TV’s are now the size of billboards. Pre-Teens have 40 inch screens in their bedrooms. In fact, there’s a screen of some kind in every room of the house. Yet the same people who have seven big screens will tell you. “We hardly ever watch it, it’s just there for the noise.” At least they are being truthful to some extent.

Then there are video games. Talk about the brain being bombarded. The sensory overload is off the charts. Tens of millions of people are totally addicted to them.

The academics tell us that the exponential increase of people diagnosed with ADD and ADHD has little to do with any of this. I’m not a neurologist but I do not see how that is possible. Both adults and children now find it nearly impossible to focus or concentrate without some form of auditory racket in the background.

Our culture has never had greater problems than it does today with ADHD, PTSD, depression, suicide, bi-polar disorder and substance addiction. Could it be possible that their is a connection?

Our MINDS need REST.