Article September 28, 1992 Issue

Beyond talk—spiritual growth

The Christian Science Monitor

The talk-show format is thriving these days on radio and television. Some of the conversation seems simply to appeal to people's supposed appetite for sensationalism. The other day, for instance, I heard a minute or two of a well-known talk show, which discussed a form of promiscuity as though it were both acceptable and amusing. There didn't appear to be any real purpose beyond a desire for high ratings.

Unfortunately, millions of people are daily taking in a steady stream of this kind of chatter. This is an issue worth considering. How often are we taking in or talking about images, opinions, concepts, that are of no benefit to us or to humanity?

Certainly we need to be aware of society's problems and do what we can to alleviate them. But there's difference between being well informed so that we can help others and letting our thought be a dumping ground for meaningless chatter. As St. Paul advised in his second letter to Timothy, "Shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness." And to the Colossians it was written, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

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