Day 7 - You Shall Not Commit Adultery

Our society has become too comfortable with cheating.

We are plagued not just by the adultery of lust, sometimes casually referred to as an ‘affair’. Sadly, our issues run much deeper as we’ve become adulterous in our thoughts, our words and our actions. Consider the official definition of the word and draw your own conclusions:

The world around us has become increasingly untrustworthy. We cannot rely on the news or the so-called authorities. Our media is littered with false or deceitful information. We have also begun blurring the lines between reality and virtual reality to an extent, as our minds are impregnated to an extent where we cannot recognize which is which.

Is that an AI generated image or the profile picture of the person I’m communicating with? Are these words written by a conscious human or were they generated by Chat-GPT? Indeed these are treacherous times.

Playing in the NFL for 10 years also revealed an insidious form of adultery that is seldom discussed. Imagine lining up against guys who you knew were just injected with some type of steroid. Not only does this defile and make the nature of the game untrue, it also makes it unsafe. Adultery in its many forms rigs the various playing fields of life. In our economy, it is the central bankers printing money indiscriminately with zero effort, while the average worker slaves for their salary. This too is unjust.

Being true and being faithful is the antidote to the chaos of our adulterous world. Any simpleton knows that cheating on your spouse leads to destruction of your marriage, relationships and other aspects of your life. But it requires true wisdom to identify the more subtle areas of our lives in which adultery has crept in and where we have become comfortable with being flighty and unreliable. “Everyone else is doing it” is a comfortable refrain. But until we as individuals recapture the true value of our own integrity and long for the purity of our hearts, our society will continue its current free fall into darkness and immorality.

Reflection:

Have you ever wondered about the origins of your thoughts? The trajectory of our lives often aligns with our most prevailing thoughts. Each utterance and action mirrors not just our present identity, but also shapes our future selves.

Practice:

1. Your mind is ready to be mastered. Make a conscious effort to shift your focus from impure thoughts towards ones that uplift and strengthen."

2. Reflect and evaluate: Challenge yourself today to introspect on the nature of your thoughts.

3. Redirect Negativity: Whenever you find yourself dwelling on negative thoughts, intentionally steer your mind towards growth.