We Are What We Consume

They say you are what you eat. And when it comes to our physical bodies, that is true.

But what about our mental side? Can what goes into our minds affect who we are? Does the media we consume play a part in our personalities, our attitudes, and our psyche?

Our modern society has been erected on the shifty platform of consumerism. Overindulgence is the status quo. Too many of us are on a steady diet of bullshit and negativity...

And in the same way that eating junk food will destroy your body, I submit that ingesting garbage videos and articles is just as detrimental to our mental well-being.

Unfortunately, we have been conditioned to take in as much as we possibly can. As a result, we have become accustomed to being bombarded with media at every turn. Articles and titles perfectly crafted to rank high in SEO. Click bait to drive traffic. To get eyeballs. Not to inform, teach, or enrich, but to MAKE MONEY.

It is important to understand that most of what we come across online was created for an explicit purpose. A purpose which usually has little to do with providing us mental nutrition. It is the media equivalent of diet soda. 

So we must ask ourselves: Does what I’m looking at do anything to make my life better in any way? If the answer no, perhaps it's time to push away the proverbial plate.

This isn’t to say we must approach everything we come across with monk-like discipline. Read the trashy gossip article, share a funny meme, but do so with the acknowledgment of what it is. In the same way there is nothing wrong with enjoying a donut or ice cream on occasion, understand that it is a treat. It lacks nutritional value, but it tastes good and we enjoy it.

We just need to be mindful of what we are mentally ingesting and in what quantities. And most importantly, why?

Because serious issues arise when we use these things in an effort to fill a void. Eating out of boredom is problematic. Mindlessly scrolling through social media for hours on end is analogous to stuffing your face at a buffet: Not the end of the world if we do it on rare occasions, but if it happens daily, you’re going to wind up bed ridden, weighing 600 pounds with failing organs.

Nowadays, the last thing we need is easily digestible distractions...Images and posts of superfluous nonsense bringing little to no value. Ideally, our media diet should comprise primarily of meat and potatoes (sorry vegans). That is to say,  we need more things of substance; things that make us think deeply or feel truly.

Everything else, when consumed in excess, leads to a diabetic coma of the soul.