Article September 20, 2010 Issue

MEDIA IMAGES AND A SPIRITUAL LESSON

BY GAYLE WEBER

Our family had just finished an evening supper and put away the dishes. I walked into the other room and noticed my little daughter—about two and a half years old at the time—sitting in her tiny rocking chair in front of the television. Tears were silently streaming down her face. I was shocked and immediately asked, "Oh, Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

The television had been left on, and she was watching two cowboys having a fistfight. Her reply to me came through tears in her little voice: "Those men are hurting each other."

Of course I went to her, comforting her with assurances that it was only make-believe and that no one was really being hurt. But I took note of how what I perceived as such an insignificant portrayal on television could so disturb my daughter, even bringing her to tears.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
THY PLAN BE DONE
September 20, 2010
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit