Is awareness good?

People have been "raising awareness" of every issue under the sun forever, but not until very recent history have we been so constantly bombarded with "awareness" under the guise that it is benefitting not only society as a whole, but also our own morality. I'd like to call that assumption into question. Is it good to be aware of issues in our society? Yes. It is necessary to be aware of the threats that may be around us. It is good to be aware of the challenges others face so that we may better relate to, aide, and pray for them. It is even good to be aware of issues in other parts of the world for the same reasons.

But here's where I believe we need to reassess and be willing to draw the line. Consider how our brains were designed to function. There is the obvious issue that we simply were not designed to handle this many "threats" at one time. Never before in human history have we been so aware of all the bad all the time. That's going to create an extremely anxious population. That's pretty evident already.

I believe the impact of "awareness culture" goes deeper than that. Consider what happens when you are exposed to something repeatedly. The first time you see a disturbing image it makes you feel bad, maybe even sick. You are horrified. When you see the same or a similar image a second time, it is less impactful. You're a little less horrified. If you continue to see the same type of images frequently you eventually have no reaction at all. That's exposure therapy.

Now consider topics that may appear on your social media feeds. There are topics that are obviously troubling - true crime, for example. Then there are topics that, based on our society's standards, feel like we are doing our part to "support others" and educate ourselves on possible threats - i.e. stories from sexual assault victims, stories about infidelity in marriage, stories from child abuse victims, stories about mental health disorders.

You see a reel about a girl who was sexually assaulted - you are horrified. A couple days later you see another on the same topic. Days later you see three more. Suddenly your whole feed is sexual assault victim videos.

Are you becoming more aware? Are you more sensitive?

Maybe your anxiety level is higher? Maybe you have diagnosed yourself or someone you know with a new mental health disorder? Maybe you feel more distrusting of others?

Or worse than any of these possibilities, maybe have you become desensitized to evil? Maybe hearing the graphic details of a girl who was repeatedly raped by her father isn't shocking anymore because you've seen five other similar stories just this morning?

That is the slippery slope we are on as a society when we mindlessly consume the media fed to us daily.

A final point, awareness goes both ways. Victims sharing how they were victimized appears to be beneficial for all, but is it? Victims need their stories to be heard and validated, of course. Are strangers online offering any real support? Unlikely. Is society as a whole safer because we are more aware of how predators work? Probably, a little bit. Are potential and current predators also learning the tricks of the trade from those victim videos? Absolutely.

I've used the sexual assault theme to illustrate my point here, but the idea can be applied to any evil. Proceed with caution. Consider what you let in. Guard your heart. And for goodness' sake, guard your children's hearts.

Remember, what you consume will consume you.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.”

– Matthew 6:22-23

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

– Colossians 3:2