Life is a very short experience, and we typically become that which we allow to influence us—what we follow and what we desire. In the times we live in, we are bombarded by an overwhelming amount of content, ideas, and visions of life that do not belong to us and, more importantly, do not belong to God. Unfortunately, a large percentage of humans have accepted the false concept that a “good life” is defined merely by economic status or social position. We are told to admire a life surrounded by wealth, desired by many, and displaying a constant cycle of partying, drugs, alcohol, expensive cars, mansions, and indecency. We are taught to set this hollow existence as the goal for our future.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

— Romans 12:2

The most important things in life are love and company, yet these have little to do with the materialism mentioned above. To be clear, this does not remove the concept of responsibility. If we want love, we must adopt responsibility and commitment first; respect and duty are the prerequisites for love. Love is represented by the mother who welcomes you into this world, feeding and sustaining you through sickness and challenges and a mother who will also drive you to success or at least show you the good path before you become independent. It is represented by the father who protects and provides for the mother and children. If we open our minds and hearts, we see clearly that true love is related to wellbeing and abundance, and that responsibility is the unique path to being fruitful.

“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

— 1 Timothy 5:8

You may wonder: what does all the above have to do with guarding our hearts? We consume music, movies, and social media content from people who destroy the core of society as God and nature intended it. Without spiritual direction, these platforms convince us that material things define a good human being, or that intimacy without commitment makes us “strong.” We see communities driven by comfort, addiction, luxury, and overpriced fashion, all of which break our link with reality. Music is one of the most dangerous influences here. Day by day, people listen to rhythms and lyrics that normalize sexual degeneration, drug consumption, and chaos. This influence pushes humans to consume one another and can drive young people toward criminal behaviors that cost them not only their lives but their souls.

“Musical innovation is full of danger to the State, for when modes of music change, the fundamental laws of the State always change with them.”

— Plato, The Republic (Books III & IV)

Why must we guard our hearts and minds? Simply because there are virtuous characteristics that time, history, and evil cannot change: kindness, care, love, responsibility, protection, respect, and discipline. These virtues cannot be touched by time, history, society, politics or convenience, because they are encrypted in the human being by God, and the most impressive thing about these virtues, we can sense their presence. However, if we expose our minds to that which normalizes evil, we will become it. What we let enter our minds becomes thoughts; our thoughts become ideas; ideas tend to become intentions; and unfortunately, intentions that corrupt a human’s good nature eventually become plans and actions. And when we allow the presence of bad influences, ideas, music, movies, and even people, the consequences are often sooner or later irreversible.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

— Proverbs 4:23

This is not to say we should not strive for a good life or a home with no lack. You can certainly have all of that if you acquire it through responsibility, hard work, and discipline. “Merit” is a word most people have forgotten, along with dignity and honor. The problem arises when we let in the modern lie that success requires no effort and achievement requires no discipline. We live in a strange dimension where men think they can treat women poorly simply because they have money or status, and women think they can demand whatever they want simply for being pretty. Both have forgotten the process of creating something from zero.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

— Galatians 6:7

What we let into our hearts and minds can destroy our good nature. Men and women alike must accept what the word “Merit” means: that love can only come if we are responsible, become strong, protective, honest, and committed as God commanded. A disciplined person loves knowledge, and knowledge builds consciousness. A conscious mind learns the value of the word “NO” This word is a guard for our hearts and souls, keeping that which destroys away from our lives and the lives of those we love. A human is certainly his heart: a lying heart is a lying human, and a greedy heart is a greedy human. Therefore, a good heart filters out the bad and only approaches and follow that which is good, true, and worthy of respect.  A good heart knows the difference between good and evil, and their responsibility to do what is right, and does not seek to justify their personal convictions, and so, knows that the main goal with what we do is to achieve justice in every form…. A good human will remain good, regardless of position, wealth, or race. Even after death, a good human leaves behind good memories, for death is the one thing that finally defines who we were.

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”

— Matthew 12:35

Written by: Rhet A. Marini