Thought Adjuster: “Increased present awareness allows you to get a sharper definition of the factors impacting your emotional weather and promptly look for shelter instead of merely complaining about darkening skies.

How do you feel when you scan news headlines, which, by the way, are bolded and capitalized to exert an ever-stronger impact on their viewers?  Ironically, disclaimers are printed in tiny fonts, as if whatever may be adversarial to your wellbeing should not be given much attention. Doesn’t it amount to blatant mental manipulation by exaggeration or understatement?

If viewing the news is part of your routine, emotionally-loaded headlines may act as metaphoric scarecrows imparting you with sentiments of outrage, discouragement, or helplessness—robbing you of a daily fresh start.

The anticipation of a freshly brewed cup of coffee entices many to get up in the morning. Why then break your mental fast with a regimen of warmed-up and unpalatable news that impair your emotional balance?

It is why Jesus never allowed himself to get enmeshed in worldly affairs but kept his focus on spiritual matters—thus exuding the peace that passes all understanding.   

“And if Jesus were on earth today, living his life in the flesh, he would be a great disappointment to the majority of good men and women for the simple reason that he would not take sides in present-day political, social, or economic disputes. He would remain grandly aloof while teaching you how to perfect your inner spiritual life so as to render you manyfold more competent to attack the solution of your purely human problems.” [UB, 140:8.17]

How could he remain detached when things were falling apart?  Not for lack of empathy but because he rather tackled situations that were within his control, qualifications, and range of influence—thus not letting worldly ‘bad news’ put a damper on his ever-renewed cheerful countenance and displaying the emotional stability expected from a ‘shower’ of ‘better ways.’

Sift through the content of your life and discard the foreign elements that disturb your peace.  I can assure you that it will yield balmier moods.”