Environ-Mental Pollution

Our minds are regularly exposed to impure stimuli. Anything or anyone that contaminates our thinking is a mental pollutant. Our environment—our social group (family, friends, coworkers), our media choices (books, TV, Internet, movies, music, radio), our previous experiences and observations, our negative reactions, all have the ability to poison our minds. We, in turn, communicate these toxic thoughts —inadvertently disseminating these pollutants to others.

The young are especially sensitive to these pollutants, because they are more impressionable. Older adults can also become highly sensitive to certain toxins because of prior experiences. For example, people with trust issues are more susceptible to fear-inducing stimuli; others who have struggled with depression are easily influenced by despairing thoughts; those who are prone to insecurity have very little resistance to intimidation.

After repeated exposure to toxins, your mind tends to do one of the following: either it learns to tolerate the contaminant, or it develops a defensive reaction to the irritant. I have developed a strong allergic reaction to certain harmful stimuli—which trigger an immediate release of emotional antibodies against certain kinds of people and situations.

According to author Stormie Omartian, exposure to this kind of pollution can cause us “to lose our sense of true purpose and identity.”

“I ask God--to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do...” (Eph. 1:17-18 MSG)

Environ-Mental pollution—every impurity that we expose ourselves to—affects our sense of who we are and what we are meant to do—our ideas about our meaning and purpose in life. It fills our life with smog—making our vision hazy, and clouding our judgment.