Article June 29, 1981 Issue

We can monitor our thoughts

CHARLES W. LINDAHL

There are many ways to become a prisoner. We may think first of being physically confined by steel bars or stone walls. But it is, in a certain sense, much more restrictive to become the captive of the material senses by constantly seeking satisfaction and stimulation in matter.

Sensuality would strip away our freedom, steal our self-control, usurp our self-respect. Under the camouflage of the promise of pleasure in matter, it would pull us down and counteract our efforts to surmount the belief of life in matter. We're not always willing, however, to see through its various guises.

We may, for instance, believe we can view films with little or no redeeming value, read graphic accounts of accidents, and peruse sexually explicit literature without letting a grossly mortal sense of existence take hold in our consciousness. We may rationalize such activity by saying that it is only entertainment. Or perhaps insist that it is necessary to keep up with news events and social developments. We may even be convinced that since we are aware of the importance of what is cherished in thought, we can afford to be exposed to these things, then remove them from our consciousness. And in some cases, we may succeed in doing just that.

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