I believe that our thoughts shape our lives. I am as careful with what I put into my mind as I am with the food I put into my body. I read good literature, listen to uplifting music, and avoid watching television programs that are negative or violent.

 

Today I was at the gym hauling away on the rower, when a song started playing over the PA system. “My friend has a girlfriend and he hates that bitch” were the lyrics that echoed through the room. I felt so disgusted that it was difficult to concentrate on my workout. The next verse began, “My friend has a boyfriend and she hates that dick.” Charming!

 

Yesterday something similar happened when I was driving to collect my cat from the vet. I pushed the wrong button on the radio and found myself listening to a discussion about whether or not the participants would have sex with a donkey for a million dollars. This was in the late afternoon, when children are home from school.

 

If someone like myself who tries to avoid such mental pollution can be exposed to things like that twice in the space of a couple of days, I can only guess how much the average teenager is exposed to. It is hard to imagine that people who constantly listen to such crudity are unaffected by it. I am just glad I am not the parent of a young child any more. How could you possibly explain any of that to a youngster? Maybe I am getting old, but I find myself thinking that censorship is the only answer.

 

I am writing letters of complaint to the radio stations concerned. Doubtless they will be filed in the trash can with snorts of laughter. I am going back to my Mozart CD and “Chicken Soup for the Soul” and if that makes me a dinosaur, then I’m proud of it.