Mentors are those who influence us but there are also unconscious influencers. We may not see these people as influencing our lives, but they do. And that could be good, bad, or neutral.
Let’s take the news for example. When I pick up the morning paper, what I’m reading is someone’s interpretation of the news. The news we read in a newspaper, magazine or online is rarely objective. Someone went to find out what happened, described the events in a story, and published it for others to read. There are many things that were left out that would have given us a fuller understanding but because of time and space, it wasn’t put into the story. The same goes with the news we watch on TV. Within 1-2 minutes, the reporter must describe what happened, many times leaving out other details that would have given a fuller story. When we believe the news is true, we are believing someone’s interpretation of the news. The news influences us.
I remember watching the TV news surrounding Hurricane Iwa in 1982. One news reporter said the hurricane was coming straight for Oahu, while the other stations were reporting that it was moving towards Kauai. The hurricane was actually moving towards Kauai, not Oahu, but this one reporter caused a lot of panic on Oahu. Depending on which station you allowed to influence you determined your decisions.
Songs can influence us. Artists write out of their experiences, emotions, and thought processes. And every once in a while a song will capture the exact feeling you are experiencing, and you will play that song over and over again. That could be a good thing if you listen to a lot of worship songs. That could be a bad thing if you listen to a lot of love or break-up songs.
I remember the songs of the 80’s such as Olivia Newton John’s Physical, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, and John Lennon’s Imagine. Those songs influenced the way people saw relationships. Certain songs can make you do certain actions. The gunmen who killed 13 people at Columbine High School in 1999 were influenced by the music of Marilyn Manson. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ song Thrift Shop are increasing the sales at places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army.
Movies can influence us. You could watch a romantic movie like You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, or Casablanca, and come away wanting the perfect mate. Or you can watch a movie like the Superman, the Dark Knight, or Spiderman, and walk out feeling you have the power to save the world. Sales of shawarma have increased just because of a post-credit scene in The Avengers. I remember I once went to see the Matrix with a friend and we walked out of the theaters poking each other, wanting to see if the other person was real. It was such a mind-blowing movie that I began to question what was real and what wasn’t.
The list can go on: books, TV shows, games, YouTube, and podcasts. Here’s the point I’m trying to make. Be careful of who and what you allow to influence you. Because directly or indirectly it will influence those you mentor.
Questions to Think About:
What song is playing in your mind right now or which song have you memorized recently. What are the lyrics really saying?
What’s your favorite movie? How has it influenced the way you think or act?
© Gary Lau 2013
All rights reserved. This article may not be distributed, forwarded or duplicated without prior permission from the author.
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