Article February 2, 2015 Issue

A spiritual response to graphic images

Cheryl Ranson

This article was originally published on JSH-Online.com.

Computer and TV screens, billboards and tabloid covers, direct mail ads and newspaper reports—all deliver a continual stream of images. Some are entertaining, some useful and informative. Others, though, can be pretty disturbing. We may feel paralyzed by graphic photos or videos, torn between anguished attention and the temptation to turn away helplessly. 

Any kind of mental domination is a wake-up call. A fixation with disturbing scenes is a call not only to quiet our own reactions but to help others who are going through mental reruns of tragedy find freedom. For me, the only satisfying antidote to any mortal condition or picture is prayer to God, immortal Mind. As Mind, God is the source of all intelligence and knowledge. His all-good nature ensures that only goodness can be seen and expressed by His creation. 

When our thought is captivated by negative images, it helps to ask what is informing us, claiming our attention, and eliciting our response. If we accept infinite Mind as supreme, then every thought we entertain has to represent God’s benevolence and love. If not, we’re presuming that another power—evil—has some part and power in God’s kingdom. 

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