Timeless truths The Champion that span generations
THEN
From Champion staff’s “Variety adds spice to life” (Vol. 2, No. 11; February 1985):
“Variety is the spice of life, but monotony brings home the butter,” someone once said.
Though it may bring home the butter, monotony has no place in Christians’ lives.
Life shouldn’t be boring, especially for Christians. Who else can really say they have the “spice of life” — Jesus Christ?
But so many Christians continue to be creatures of habit; changes need to be made, and that spice of life needs to be put into action. … The key to living is variety. Without it, where are you? Bored!
NOW
I moved into an apartment this year, and because I got there two months before school started, I was determined that I would go out and explore things in Lynchburg that I didn’t get to see when I lived on campus.
However, I found myself coming home from my summer job, sitting in my beanbag chair, and suddenly the day was over, and I hadn’t tried anything new.
Adding variety to life takes effort. It’s hard to go out and do something you’ve never done before, especially for introverts like me who genuinely enjoy staying home. So, how do we beat the monotony?
First, find someone who wants to try new things, too. Having a friend who keeps you accountable can help you stay on track, even more so if you both do a new activity together.
Take small steps to add variety. Don’t jump to big changes right away. And, most importantly, keep your goals in mind to focus on why you’re changing it up.
THEN
From Carrie Freed’s “Media shapes views” (Vol. 3, No. 18; March 1986):
The mass media is definitely gaining power and credibility in communicating to the country. The media’s influence can be illustrated by looking back at a unique happening in 1938.
Remember Orson Wells’ radio broadcast, “War of the Worlds”? During the intense “drama” of an imaginary outer space invasion, the narrator repeatedly said throughout the broadcast that it was only a story.
Yet people didn’t hear that; they only heard planet Earth was being invaded. … We must be discerners of the information (that) is available to us. … Let’s make our minds filters, not sponges.
NOW
Media has become one of the most common places to get news, particularly social media. Everyone can think of someone they know who believes everything they read online. In this environment, it can be all too easy for those who put out media to sway consumers’ beliefs.
The biggest issue is lack of discernment in the media’s audience.
One way consumers can fight this is to be skeptical when encountering stories. Check which platforms are publishing the story, and how many. If several credible sources are talking about that piece of news, that’s a good indication that the story is legitimate.
Read or watch carefully, and make sure there are enough sources within the story to back up the information being presented.
Media consumers are fed lots of news every day, but we can’t put all the blame on media companies for feeding us false information if we aren’t properly practicing discernment.
McKenzie is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X