Television, radio, and all the sources of amusement andinformation that surround us in our daily lives are also artificialprops. They can give us the impression that our minds are active, because we are required to react to stimuli from outside.But the power of those external stimuli to keep us going islimited. They are like drugs. We grow used to them, and wecontinuously need more and more of them. Eventually, theyhave little or no effect. Then, if we lack resources within ourselves, we cease to grow intellectually, morally, and spiritually.And when we cease to grow, we begin to die.