By Jo Mooy
There’s a finite amount of time allotted to each life. Decide who or what you want in yours.
Every human is tied up in some type of restraint that binds. We’re held captive by beliefs, traditions, ethnicity, religion and culture. Parents, friends and family persuasions influence much of what we do. Alas, the greatest restraint keeping us bound up in knots is inertia. We think about making changes in our lives, but it’s so much easier to sit around whining about it, rather than doing something to change it.
Those cords can be cut.
The internet, TV and social media hold the strongest grip on our lives and on our collective consciousness. These electronic ties sway our beliefs so intensely that even educated minds fall victim to mass hypnosis. As “alternative facts” replace Socratic inquiry, truth disappears and reasoned individuals go underground. They cannot face the endless onslaught on values. But, there is a solution: Cut the cords that blind and bind you.
The phrase “cutting the cord” refers to leaving the confines of cable boxes and connecting to the world through another medium—specifically streaming. In 2019 there was a staggering 48 percent increase in cable “cord-cutting” saving subscribers an average of $1,500 a year in bills. In fact, a recent headline in a business publication, watching the impact of cord cutters, asked, Is Cable Dead?
But cutting the cord can do the same thing for our emotional and spiritual lives. It begins by examining how you spend your time, especially “electronic” time. Be ruthless about it. What do you really watch on TV? Why does a particular program hold such an emotional attachment? Does the watching or reading of electronic media raise you up? Or are you listening to negative or predictable commentary by one-sided, uninformed “experts” who are trying to influence a vapid population?
We have complete control over our physical, social, media and spiritual networks.
Older people intentionally “regulate and cull” their social contacts. If someone in their circle is negative or irritating, they quickly remove them from the social network without much fanfare. Researchers find that as adults age. they are more adept at shaping the emotional experiences that optimize their health and well-being. These findings are gratifying for they reinforce the individual’s need to be in control of their lives. These individuals cut the cords by directing what is and what is not important in their emotional and social lives.
As individuals age, they realize there’s less time left for them to do the things that are important. As the runway of life gets shorter, they begin to be selective in how and where they spend their time. A recent gerontology study shows if a person has a few hours to kill, they might spend it reading a book or watching a movie. When told they had six months to live, all their time was spent with their closest friends or loved ones. Researchers call this “emotional selectivity or regulation.” It’s another way of saying they spend time with the people who lift them up and cherish them emotionally.
There’s a finite amount of time allotted to each life. You decide who or what you want in it. You decide if the selections you’ve chosen improve or reduce your emotional temperament. If a selection mars your enjoyment of life, or if it causes constant angst, cut the cords. In fact, cut any cords that stop you from a peaceful and harmonious journey in life. The feelings that come from cord-cutting are liberating. The freedom and exhilaration experienced will give you clarity and an easier understanding about what’s really important in life.
I cut the cable cord last year. I still know what’s going on in the world, but I’m no longer shoulder-deep in the negative commentary. I haven’t missed anything or any programs I used to watch on cable TV. They disappeared without a trace of regret. I now spend my time on more interesting things that bring genuine happiness and even better, joyous laughter. I read more. I write more. I reflect more. I did it by cutting many cords!
Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to http://www.starsoundings.com or email jomooy@gmail.com.