Garbage In, Garbage Out

We are bombarded constantly by images, thoughts, and ideas that come at us from all directions, from multiple sources, all day long. Things slip by us and enter our brain subconsciously, imbedding themselves until they grow and manifest into action.

For years there’s been a saying among the IT crowd concerning computers: “Garbage in, garbage out.” It meant more when people had to write and to understand code to get the machine to work because unless you were a precise and talented code writer you could end up with anything. Years ago a friend of mine managed to get her computer into an infinite loop by writing some bad code for a class project.

The human brain is much like a computer. It is an organic processor for the things we put into it. Garbage in, garbage out. Think a moment about that and let it sink in. Now, let’s take it a step further. You are what you eat is an old cliché that’s been around a while. Let’s put a new spin on it. You are what you read, watch, talk about, listen to, etc.

In this great country of freedom we have access to anything the mind can imagine. From the finest the arts have to offer to the lowest things imaginable. All protected under our constitution and its amendments. Just because its available to us doesn’t mean that we should put it into our brains. If you feed your brain a constant diet of fear, hatred, intolerance, narrow thinking, biased news, and misinformation you will live in a world of fear, hatred, and intolerance. If you fill your mind with new ideas, a broad range of opinion, sound information, uplifting thoughts, and love, you will find yourself in a much better world.

Many organizations and groups use the power of slant and bias to promote their agenda. As I stated in my last blog (http://tr.im/KTG7), if you question everything that you put into your brain and then store it in its proper context then you will make good decisions. If, however, you allow your emotions to carry you away with the rhetoric you will put into your brain ideas that may have some tragic results. There’s an example of that being played out in Wichita as I write this.

Many good and bad causes that have both uplifted mankind as well as caused mankind a lot of pain and suffering started as ideas. These ideas then spread to others. Both the good ideas and the bad ones have had profound effect on us all over the centuries. They brought us the dark ages, the renaissance, world wars, Gandhi, and nuclear weapons.

What it all comes down to is this one simple thing. You control what goes into your mind. You also control what comes out. You better your chances of having good things come out by filtering what you put in your head in the first place. We are bombarded constantly by images, thoughts, and ideas that come at us from all directions, from multiple sources, all day long. Things slip by us and enter our brain subconsciously, imbedding themselves until they grow and manifest into action. Like a cancer a bad small idea can turn into actions that affect the world. Again we have the power to prevent it.

Be the best you can be by paying attention to what you allow into your mind and heart. Feed them with love and understanding and you will spread love and understanding. Feed them with hatred and violence and you will spread hatred and violence. It’s just a law of nature: Garbage in, garbage out.