By Bush Chaplain Noel Williams
It seems to me.
For me, the questions I ask myself and others about reality (absolute or relative) all comes back to individual perceptions of reality.
For example, I have now clocked up 50,000 km in realising my role as Bush Chaplain for Frontier Services since July 20 last year.
Though I know that there is a finite number of little white lines down the centre of the road in 50,000 kilometres, it seems to me to be infinite!
When I watch the news on free to air TV, it seems to me that there is an infinite number of views on a particular event or report – particularly on the political front.
When it comes to television advertising and marketing of foods, fashion, faith, personal and family health, it seems to me that marketing spin endeavours, not only to set my personal agenda and activities in life and living, but under the guise of ‘caring for me’ it seems to me that all that people, products and personalities want is my money or attention.
At times, it seems to me, this relentless barrage of non-verbal messages, suggestive images, catchy jingles, dominant pop culture icons, personal success and prosperity advertisements range from severe emotional abuse to high levels of emotional noise or to promptings to believe in flying pigs or fairies at the bottom of our gardens.
Lastly, it seems to me, that advertising and marketing gurus and companies believe that I do not have the emotional and cognitive intelligence to act decisively on my perceptions of reality.
Our intuitive intelligence that operates in the ‘it seems to me’ function of our brains is one of the most important capabilities in discerning what is good, what is rubbish and what needs to be seriously considered before we enter into any commitment that involves our personal resources.
This intuitive intelligence is a far better option than fairy-land promises associated with recent artificial intelligence applications and software.
It seems to me, that as I live my life in Christian service in the bush, there are many people who are seriously lost emotionally.
Many people don’t know who to trust or have been so disillusioned by society that they do not want to trust anyone – at all.
The hollowness and shallowness of virtual realities relentlessly presented in powerful and emotive media create a dangerous emotional environment that fosters depression, anxiety and hopelessness – especially in our younger generations.
So what can we do to manage our personal well-being in the face of prolific attempts at social engineering?
How can we find clarity of thought and peace of mind in our daily activities, pursuits and relationships?
As I read my Bible, it seems to me, that Jesus also struggled with severe distortions of religious realities in His interactions with people, societies and political powers.
He showed generous compassion to the poor, the isolated, the remote, the outcast, the marginalised and the lost.
It seems to me, that maybe, we all need to get back to basics in terms of real faith, hope and love.
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