G.I.G.O.

You know what that stand for, right? Garbage in, garbage out. It refers to what we watch, what we listen to, and what we read, or what we do. If our hearts and minds are filled with garbage on a daily basis, what do you expect to see coming out of us?

Change this to: Good in, good out. Read a classic novel instead of trash. Listen to music that is not laced with profanity and hatred. Watch TV that has something of value. I know many people who don’t watch TV anymore. I can’t really blame them. It seems that much of what we see is just a waste of air time. Even the news has become tainted and political.

If you are a parent or a teacher, this becomes even more critical as you think about your impact on future generations. We can’t really expect kids to do things different than what we do, can we? I find it both amusing and sad at the same time the double standard that many adults have when it comes to G.I.G.O. Just because we are adults, does that really give us the freedom to do whatever we want to do?

What used to be X rated is now standard TV. Wow. That is progress? One thing I can say for my parents is that they did set the proper example for us with what they watched, what they read, and what they listened to. They were not perfect by any means, but I have to give them credit for trying to do the right thing by us as their family and setting the proper example.

In this world of technology and the internet, we have access 24/7 to whatever we desire. That is a two-edged sword and it cuts both ways. We can choose good or like Darth Vader said, “Come to the dark side.” I hope and pray that we do the responsible thing and let light, love, and laughter be our guide. Life is too short to waste time collecting garbage.

There is a verse from the Bible that talks about this very thing: Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

danskognes.com