Touré Roberts - Mindfulness, Mindless Behavior

This epidemic of mindlessness is so strong that we have been stripped of the ability to think and process for ourselves. Too many people are renters of their mental real estate and not owners. Philip, two of you, you don’t even own the real estate of your mind; you’re renting it, and you’re renting it from the mediums to which you regularly subscribe. It’s crazy! We are often seduced into these patterns that become the rhythm of mindlessness, and we don’t even realize it. In order to begin to take your mind back, let me tell you how wild it is, because you may not even think that your mind is gone. At least, think about this for a second: when you go onto the internet, realize this—let’s just say you go into social media. Raise your hand if you have social media, mm-hmm, right? Raise your hand if you have been on social media within the last 24 hours. Okay, okay. Raise your hand if you have scrolled through social media within the last 24 hours. Okay, let me tell you what happens when you scroll. Scrolling is crazy, because within a two to three-minute span, you can go through 70 different emotions! Post number one: outrageous! They did what? Scroll. Post number two: a little baby. Post number three: there’s somebody on there that you feel you are a little more attractive than, so you’re like, «Yeah, yeah, that’s cute.» Post number four: someone who’s drop-dead gorgeous, and on and on and on. Here is the crazy thing: it all happened in three minutes! You went on an emotional roller coaster. I mean, on post number one, you needed therapy, and before you could even get healed from that, you’re onto something else. The next one, you’re sad, grieving, and weeping, and all this happens in five minutes. What do you think that does to the mind? We weren’t created and designed to go through all of this. And the culture—watch this—the culture of mindlessness cultivates, how can I put this, a mind that resists the notion of marination. I am now hardwired because of this culture of information overload to not fully process anything. My mind now does not even understand the concept of marination. So even a good thought, I cannot marinate on. The challenge with that is that where there is no marination, there can be no transformation. That’s why God would always say things like, «meditate on my word day and night so that you can be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in every season, whose leaf will not wither, and whatever you do shall prosper.» So if I do not marinate, and what’s worse is if my mind is now hardwired to no longer marinate, I can’t grow and I become mindless. Not only do I become mindless, but I become predictable, and there is a spirit out there that wants you to become predictable. It wants to be able to push your button and make you buy this, push your button and make you feel that you have to get a hold of your mind. This thing is real. The next big thing, AI, stands for artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is based on the premise of predictability. How can I program intelligence unless I have predicted how you will respond? Not too deep, okay? That’s all right, we’ll come back to it. So, I’ve got to break out of mindless behavior; I’ve got to break out of it. When you understand that none of us are exempt from this, you start moving differently. Does anybody want to take their mind back? There is a strategy against your mind. Let me tell you something: look at some of the best-selling books right now. Some of them have been best-sellers for years. God bless you; I’ve read some of those books. But listen, things like «How to Win Friends and Influence People"—that sounds wonderful, but can’t you call that manipulation? I know you’ve read the book; that’s okay. «The 48 Laws of Power"—there’s a culture in our society right now that is training itself on how to manipulate you to get you to be predictable and to respond the way it wants you to respond. Heavier—you brought your friend; he’s normally extremely positive. This is positive! Getting your mind back is positive! Getting free is positive! Being everything that God has called you to be is positive! Come on, somebody! If you want your mind back, Paul can be bye-bye! I’m setting the captives free today; I’m getting my mind back! I want to think my own thoughts. I don’t want to have other people’s thoughts recycled. I have a brain; God gave me a mind for a reason, and it’s supposed to work for me. So let me tell you something, because I’m out of time; we’ve got to land this plane. Let me tell you, anytime I engage in this information overload vortex, I go into it with a new mind. I see myself as a Navy SEAL; I see myself as a special ops member. Every time I pick up my phone—notice I’m not using my iPad for this message; I’m using this because every time I pick up my phone, my phone is not evil, but it’s dangerous stuff. So every time I pick up my phone…