Do You Have a Healthy Diet of Beauty?

Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8 CSB)

My children are digital-age natives. Most likely, they will never know life without the massive amount of information the internet provides. They will never be without devices that give them access to everybody they know, always expecting their peers to respond to them immediately. They will never have to wait to know the answer to a question—let alone take time to look it up in a book (Encyclopedia Britannica is an antique, a quaint novelty item). They will never know a time when electronic entertainment isn’t at their fingertips.

They will never expect this kind of instant gratification to be anything but the norm.

Although access to information is important, and electronic connection to friends and family has its merits, with this age comes a side effect I find troubling: stress and anxiety from information overload—especially negative information. Being informed is well and good, but the availability of news, information, and insight into private lives has reached an unprecedented and unhealthy level.

I often find myself feeling anxious because of the amount of bad news I see. I don’t think our society is any more corrupt or perverse than it’s been in the history of modern humanity, but I do think the accessibility of social media and twenty-four-hour cable news outlets has cast a glaring light on the worst of what we have to offer. Prior to this age, newspapers, magazines, and the major broadcast stations had to pick and choose what was worthy of our attention because of limited time or space. Only a small percentage of the best and worst of society reached our eyes and ears.

I sometimes think this information overload is running our society off the rails, and I wonder how much more our relationships, societies, and emotional well-being can take. Reports of the uptick of depression and anxiety in our children and teenagers is evidence of a negative effect this overstimulation has on these digital-age natives.

I realize my own information consumption is unbalanced when I find myself thinking the world is coming to an end. Stepping outside of my own head and recognizing the source of my anxiety helps me realize that I need to shift my focus from the catastrophe and despair fed to me through my news updates and realize that God’s presence is all around me—and always has been. He is bigger than my news feed. All I have to do is pay attention to the beauty of his creation to realize I need a healthy dose of that beauty.

God created us to love his creation and in turn to honor him by creating. When we feed ourselves a steady diet of bad news, we lose sight of God’s goodness and creation in the world. Just like our own bodies become out of whack when we fill them with the wrong food and fuel, our spirits become anxious and troubled when we don’t give ourselves the joy they crave. The cure is a balanced diet of information and beauty.

As long as artists relentlessly pursue the mysterious desire to create, joy has a place in this world. As long as we have musicians whose life’s work is perfecting their craft, love will win. As long as we have composers who desire to fill the world with beautiful music, we are saved. As long as we have libraries, readers thirsty for knowledge, and authors who know the pen is stronger than the sword, we cannot fail. As long as we have art museums to show us what pain and struggle and victory and passion look like on canvas and in clay, we can move forward.

Even if all the libraries, museums, and concert halls burned down tomorrow, as long as musicians play their music in the street, artists paint new paintings, authors write new books and plays, and architects build new buildings, we cannot succumb to darkness. Each time something beautiful is brought into this world, God is present. He built into us the desire to create, and by pursuing that desire, we honor him. Anytime we pursue joy and beauty, we pursue him.

Will your diet consist only of negative information that pulls you down, or will it include healthy doses of beauty?

Stephanie Clinton is a writer and blogger but more importantly, a wife and mother to two little boys. In her free time (if there is any) she can be found wiping snotty noses and volunteering in her community and school. Learn more about Stephanie along with her passion to encourage women and lighten their load at www.hugskissesandsnot.com.

Photograph © Victoria Bilsborough, used with permission