You and I are walking through life, observing and absorbing everything that surrounds us. We acquire different tastes, we get to know things, we settle into habits. Little by little, from the moment of our birth we are being shaped according to certain patterns. At home, in kindergarten, at school and at work we are being constantly educated, indoctrinated, manipulated and modeled. In our spare time, depending on our interests and what fascinates us as well as the environment in which we live, we find idols to follow and admire.

What bodies and lobbies finance these films that we watch and the newspapers/journals we read?  What values are being passed on to our kids in the cartoons that we allow them to see? Which people and what views are being subtly promoted in media that we take to be impartial? Do we really find political correctness to be something positive or we are just being conformists?

Why are certain actions considered patriotic in one country but seen as nationalistic in another? And when can the investigative journalism of one paper be seen as merely a pretext for catching the opposition out? (Are such exercises not often just semantic games of media owned by political interests of various provenances?)

Do we tend to agree with the opinions of well-established groups/circles simply because they are well established (especially in the cultural and moral sphere)? But on examination do not the ‘truths’ they have instilled in us, turn out to be sophism, paralogisms or simply lies? How often do school teachers influence us not only by their teachings but also by their attitude and their own opinions? How does the access to hundreds of T.V., radio, music stations (provided by the Internet) computer games and colourful magazines affect us?

How often do artistic creations only derive their value from the fact that they have been shown in prestigious galleries and museums? How much do we subscribe to and follow today’s fashions and ideologies? And last of all, who or what doctrine is God to us? Krishna, Jesus, Allah, Ego, Gnosticism, Hedonism… or do we simply not care?

My Sweety Pie, this is a piece of advice from uncle Chris, the world has a lot to offer and everything matters. Choose wisely.