Interview:

One year I went to see one of the X-Men films on opening weekend. Because we got there late, we ended up having to sit rather close to the screen, so we had to lean back to see the screen well. As we watched, I ended up turning around as the movie played. Because of the light from the screen, I was able to clearly see the staring glaze over a sea of people with their eyes focused on the screen. It then hit me, they weren’t just watching a movie; they were receiving images, concepts, and information. This information and messages were in the form of pictures, sounds, storylines, action, and music. It’s the combination of all that goes into creating a movie that works together to influence the minds of the viewer and entertain them.

With that said, it’s not just movies that communicate, music communicates the heart and intentions of the person who is expressing themselves. Paintings express a person’s mindset, likes, and dislikes, just like any other art form that requires personal expression. It then becomes the responsibility of the viewer or listener to judge and decide whether or not what they are hearing is something that they want to receive into their spirit being. God has given us all free choice. With that choice, some people choose to ignore Him and say there is no God. However, the spirit side of each of us, that is most like God, is consistently receiving from the world around us. As we allow art, music, and movies to share positive messages of love and kindness, we feed ourselves those messages, and are then setup to act in ways consistent with those messages.

However, if we give attention to movies, music, and videos that degrade each other and say derogatory names, we then are much more prone to respond in ways in line with what we have received by way of entertainment. Ok, so you may be saying, “No I won’t! Just because I listen to it doesn’t mean it will affect me!” Well, think about this, can you remember a time when you found yourself humming or repeating a song that you didn’t remember hearing in the first place? How about having a song ringing in your mind long after the music stops? Most of us have had this experience. So what’s really happening? What we receive becomes a part of us, like it or not. Music and images can be received unconsciously without you really being aware of them. The point then becomes, if I can receive things that affect me, what am I allowing to affect me and do I want those concepts to become part of my life? If you want to live a life of love and forgiveness that has a positive impact on the world around you, be mindful that what you hear becomes a part of you, and will show up later for the good or the bad.

“As we allow art, music, and movies to share positive messages of love and kindness, we feed ourselves those messages.”
– Eric M. Watterson, Author & Producer