"Many of us believe in, or have experienced, an inner 'thin small voice' (1 Kings 19:12), telling us what is good and what is evil.
But this seemingly innate inner voice is, in fact, conditioned by time, place, and culture, as well as by personal taste.
We are living in a very noisy culture that bombards us with books, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, movies, and video games—a multitude of voices trying to guide, advise, influence, or convince us.
These voices implant ideas in us, which we often repeat without thinking.
Even when we think that we are making our own statements, we may merely be repeating the words of a TV announcer we heard some time before.
We often do not verify what we hear, yet we believe it, adhere to it, and use it.
It is practically impossible to differentiate between true feeling and external noise."
--Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
From Simple Words by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
