Tonight I realized that although we are not physically at war here in our country, we are in a war. It's a war for our minds. It's subtle. We think we have it good, and we do, physically. We really have more than we need here in Canada and America and it's not fair to say that we are not blessed, because we are, and we should be thankful. But why then would we have more suicide her than we should (our minds are under attack). We think we are safe here with our imaginary wall of finances. We are not. There are many who are safe, and we thank God for that and appreciate all He's done for us by bringing us to a country of physical peace. But when the things we spend our time on (increasingly more television and internet media) - when these things eat at us form the inside we are not at peace. We are in a ware that may be more dangerous than the kind of war in Afghanistan or Iraq. The bombs we lob are at each other. A company needs money. It devises a product. It lets people know about the product (advertising and marketing). The product sells. Is there anything wrong with that? No, I don't think so, but what if the people who sell the product use a means of selling that might appeal to the sin nature we have inherently within us. What if it appeals to rebellion? What if it appeals to our want to be better than others? What if it appeals to our envy, to our lust, to our selfish pride? What if what we use to sell something is a device that encourages sloth, or encourages a hurtful lifestyle (alcoholism). We have seen the effects that our marketing of cigarettes has had on our culture. At first, there were likely good effects for the most part. Many people bought cigarettes. Fine. The tobacco farmers made more money and employed more people. They all benefited. Taxes benefited. The cigarette companies benefited. The nation benefited. For a time. Then we start to feel the ill effects - on our people's health. On our pocketbooks. Not to say it can be fully attributed to cigarettes alone, because that's hard to prove. Hence the lengthy court cases. Hence the public debate. The use of extra levies on cigarettes. The use of supposed deterrent graphics. These things work I'm sure to some degree. What about those who are already addicted? How does it affect their lives? They get to spend more time outdoors than the rest of us, right? 5, 10, or 15 minutes outside, rain or shine, or in their cars or in their homes. What about their children?
Let's make some laws. Okay, that's good for the kids. Let's enforce them. What about the effect of how if someone's parent smokes, how much more likely are they, growing up watching a continual word of mouth advertising for cigarettes in general - how much more likely are they to decided to do the same? How many other harmful things does our culture advocate but in the end they cause death. No, we don't shoot bullets at each other. We don't count about 24 bullets a day, barely harmful enough to cause an effect that might end a person up in the hospital to remove a tumor, or a lung, or to bet radiation or chemotherapy. Those are not bullets. But they can be more painful and more devastation than any bullet. Can a bullet rip your lungs out? Today we know this is bad for us. Have we stopped? To some degree we have, yes. Some of us do not listen though to the extra taxes. Some of us find ways around the extra taxes. So we fight against the measures put in place to stop us from getting hurt. Are there casualties? Yes. most certainly. It's not like we shoot each other. I just want to make this much more profit this year, to the benefit of my shareholders and their families. So I steal a bit of health from a few people. So what. It's tough to prove. I get a few more kids to smoke. Okay. So sue me. I can hire an expensive lawyer. This is wrong.
We have to stop hurting each other. Hits for pay. A SMALL hit that takes you out a few decades later. How is it not a hit. What if my part is only the one finger on the punching hand? I'm still a part of it. What if my soul doesn't remind me about it anymore. Sure, fine, you're set then, you don't need to worry about it. Do your thing. But aren't we all held accountable in the end? Yeah we're free from guilt. But what are the consequences. Unknown? No, we know the consequences for sin. Are we forgiven? Did we ask? Are we settled up? Or do we remember? What is it that drives us? A root that pulls us in. We don't want to make any less. We don't want to have to give up what we have. It's our right, right? We worked hard for this. It's only fair for it to continue, right? We shouldn't have to lower our standard of living, right?
We are only doing things that no one really sees directly. It's easy to put the consequences at arm's length. Are we shooting ourselves in the foot if we don't feel it for 50 years or so? Does it still hurt? Not right now.
Right now, the shot feels good. Right now it requires little thought. Right now it's only a small thing. Might not hurt me. But we know the statistics. We've lived the experiment as a culture. We've seen where it takes us. Would we run through a gauntlet of rifle bullets if we knew we had a one in three chance to get mortally wounded? Does that sound cool? Does it seem like a good idea? No. But we do it, we just feel it much later on and we don't know how they will effect us until we get an ex ray. We have 6 months to live. We are not able to operate because the tumor is too close to the heart. We are not able to see her at the Christmas get together.
I am no better. What did thousands walk past this weekend - Ads that I had a hand in. I didn't come up with the idea, but no soldiers start the war. I didn't choose for this to happen, that someone would go into debt to buy and use the latest phone they probably didn't need. It's hard to see what will happen but what if there's one (1) guy out there who buys it on a whim. His Wife gets mad at him and he decides to not care. They bet into a bit of debt. the borrow some to stay afloat. Their kids don't know it but they've started slipping and soon there's a landslide. Other bits and pieces here and there. They fall apart. Their home gets re-posessed. They and their kids experience the heartache of divorce.
Not in every case, but what is the most likely cause of emotional problems in kids? Divorce. What is the most likely cause of crime? Having had emotional problems as a kid. What does this all mean? The little things we do each day - sure there are alot of people who work for ad companies helping others - charities, etc. We all share in some good and some bad. Where do we stand? Are we helping each other? Are things getting better? Does our culture seem to be getting out of this? Does it seem that we are having more success at keeping kids form being depressed? How many times can a kid hear 'you're not good enough unless you have this product' bfore she starts to believe it? Before depression sets in? Before jumping off a washing machine with a rope tied around her neck starts to seem like a better option?
What does it have to take before we stop? Before I stop. What am I doing working with this stuff? Can I say 'no' to working on things I don't believe will benefit society? Am I able to pick and choose what I work on? Do I have the freedom? Do I have the courage? What am I doing to myself? Will my daughter grow up believing that she is not pretty enough unless she buys and applies all this makeup and wears a certain type of clothing? Will my sons be able to decide that they'd be better off not to go get drunk with their friends in the field like I did when I was 16?
How can I expect to be keeping them safe from themselves if I don't opt out of working on stuff that would hurt their minds? Can anything make them choose a path that is not the best? Turn them out onto the street asking for money to buy drugs the may have never known existed 20 or 30 years ago? Why do I continue in sin? Money. I an under the false impression that I need money. Well it's come true, because I've grown to hate money. I let it root me in evil that I want no part in. Do I deserve to get to work on things that don't hustle us into hurting ourselves? Not really. I did like the idea of controlling people. I did want to make a name for myself and see some income. I wanted to make some changes to the world. Not like this. Can I take it back? Can I undo all the ads I helped print? Or just the ones for alcohol, or that use sex to sell? Can I just pray that nobody will listen to them? Am I over analyzing things? Did my life's work cause some pain? Did my sense of right and wrong come back again? Will I make a change to something that won't hurt anymore? Do I want it bad enough? Is there a way out? Can I escape without becoming a casualty? Without a dishonorable discharge? Without affecting my family in a negative way. Can a camel fit though the eye of a needle? Thankfully everything is possible, with God.
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