Everyone has heard the phrase “You are what you eat.” Sometimes I think that phrase has lost its meaning, as even the people who say it will admit to eating junk food far too often. However, it’s the logic behind the statement that warrants another look.

If you truly are “what you eat,” then shouldn’t it come to follow that you are also “what you see” and “what you hear?” Many health-conscious people, who frequent farmer’s markets and health food stores, spend an awful lot of time watching mind-dumbing “reality” TV shows (a topic worthy of further discussion) and listening to shock-jock talk radio.

So the question is…

Shouldn’t you be just as cautious about what you watch on TV and what you listen to on the radio as you are about what food you put into your body?

Think about it. We can joke about watching “Big Brother” or “American Idol,” since we all know these shows are devoid of any true intellectual value, but at the end of the day, aren’t these shows, by virtue of failing to inspire creative thought or stoking the fires of the imagination, actually making us less intelligent?

“Use it or lose it” is another saying that comes to mind.

It makes me wonder: if you find yourself checking your brain at the door too often, will it still be there when you need it?

And if it’s gone… how will you ever find it?