Saturday, 24 October 2009
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Negative Thoughts, Like Catchy Tunes, Can Be Torture
A coalition of musicians including Pearl Jam and R. E. M. backed a formal demand yesterday to be told if their songs had been used to torture detainees in Guantánamo Bay and Iraq. There have been many allegations by former prisoners that they were blasted with excruciatingly loud music for months on end — a tactic that is banned under the UN Convention Against Torture but not yet from the US Army Field Manual. (London Times Online)
I am not advocating torture (see, I’m not such a bad Christian) but I have to admit that it is pretty funny that one of the songs they allegedly used was a Barney the Purple Dinosaur song.
“I Love, you love me, we’re a great big family…”
Aghhhhhhhh! Stop. I’ll talk!
If I were ever captured a more effective way to get me to break would be to cue up a couple of TV preachers on a continuous loop. I wouldn’t last a day. It brought to mind an article I wrote earlier about earworms. An earworm is a term for a portion of a song that becomes "stuck" in your head and you cannot get it out of your mind. Soon you are literally out of your mind. A survey of several hundred students came up with a list of the most insidious earworms.
Chili's "Baby Back Ribs" jingle (“I want my baby back, baby back, baby back…”)
Who Let the Dogs Out (“Who let the dogs out…woof, woof, woof, woof…Who let the dogs out…woof, woof, woof, woof…”)
Kit-Kat candy-bar jingle ("Gimme a Break, Gimme a Break ...")
The Lion Sleeps Tonight (“We-de-de-de, de-de-de-de-de de, we-um-um-a-way – drum fill – We-de-de-de, de-de-de-de-de de, we-um-um-a-way…A wimoweh, a-wimoweh a-wimoweh, a wimoweh”) Note: That also makes your spell checker go crazy.
"It's a Small World After All" (“It’s a small world after all…it’s a small world after all…it’s a small, small world…”)
From the Disney earworm file I would add the Pirates of the Caribbean (“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me…”)
I have to confess to an occasional really bad Christian moment. I have been known to quietly hum The Chicken Dance (na-na-na-na-na-na-na) in a crowded office space and then listen for the earworm to take root. Someone will start humming the song and catch themselves and begin agitated grumbling.
I know. I am a sinner. But it is pretty funny to watch.
There are lots of other songs that you absolutely hate to hear because you know the “earworm” will bury deep in your brain for the rest of the day. But musical earworms are generally annoying and not really dangerous. There are other earworms that damage our relationships and even our walk with Jesus. These are the portions of our life history that get stuck in our heads. You know what I mean. Those old lyrics get played and the spiritual battle earworm takes hold.
“You will never change.”
“Why even try? You will just fail again.”
“You are not enough.”
“You are faking and everyone knows.”
“Everyone is doing fine except you.”
“You are not smart enough…pretty enough…tough enough…whatever enough”
“God is tired of your failures and He is tired of you.”
Satan is even meaner than me humming the Chicken Dance. He will plant those damaging earworms in your heart and mind. And if we don’t have a defense plan they will rob us of our peace, joy and relationships. I will defer again to my friends at TrueFaced. Their book and principles have helped me to recognize and repel Satan’s earworms. When I hear those old tapes start playing I simply think or say out loud this simple statement of fact.
“That is not who I am anymore.”
Because of Christ I am a new person. I have been changed. And my mission is to allow God to love me and mature me into what is already true about me. I am a saint who sometimes sins, not a sinner trying to become a saint. So when the earworms of deceit and destruction start in your mind you can shut them down by simply stating the truth.
That is not who I am anymore.
Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. (I Corinthians 5, NLT)
By the way…it is okay to let that passage get stuck in your head. In fact, I recommend it. And finally let me leave you with this…
Na na na na na na na na na na na na,
Na na na na na na na na na na na na,
Na na na na na na na na na na na na
Bom, bom, bom, bom…Sorry.
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- From: daveburchett
- Name: Dave
- About Me: Dave Burchett is an Emmy Award-winning television sports director for Fox Sports, ESPN, and Jefferson Pilot Sports. Dave has directed Southeastern Conference basketball games for over twenty years. He has also directed Texas Ranger’s major league baseball telecasts for over twenty years and had the thrill of televising one of Nolan Ryan's no-hit games and Ryan’s 300th win. He and his wife, Joni, are former staff members of Campus Crusade's Athletes in Action. They currently reside in Garland, Texas where Joni is a Special Education Coordinator specializing in elementary students. Dave and Joni are the parents of three sons.
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Comments (8)
Very funny and well-said. On a related note--heeeeeey, Macarena!
Have you ever heard the Annoying Music Show?
Good post.
Yes, we must be girding up the loins of our minds with truth, so we will flourish and not wither, e.g.- Psalm 1, Jer. 17. Christians can only continue to run the race set before us as we keep in mind who He is and who we are in Christ.
Most of my negative thoughts have religion involved. But to each his own!
LOL at the barney part!!! =P
Wait a second here...are you the Dave Burchett who wrote When Bad Christians Happen to Good People??? If you are I've been a huge fan. I also have your second book. I'm a walking billboard for your books. The humor is certainly similar...Yep it's you, just read your bio...What brings you here?? You poor man, you've lost your way and found Xanga. Ah, well, there are worse places to be.
Good observations as usual, thank you. And thanks for all the insights laced with wonderful humor in your books as well.
Lonnie
Buddhism explains very clearly about the negative voices we hear. I touched on it yesterday in comment to a blog about how self help positive affirmations don't work. If I had time I'd look for it.
I LOVE this post!!
Torture is not the greatest thing ever, but I have to say... the Barney song... LMAO!!!
@Pass_the_Aura@xanga - lol thanks a lot! :P