"What is this world coming to?! That one person could be treated so unjustly by another..."
"well, that's not the whole story..."
Like most situations, it served as a life lesson.
As I have become more involved in taking political responsibility for my beliefs, I have noticed the government sitting at my dinner table, sleeping in my bed, and lounging next to me on the couch while I watch my favorite Sunday night television show. How the products I purchase, the food I eat, and the shows I watch surreptitiously support programs I may not believe in.
The media recently reported a story I was involved in on our local nightly news. I tuned in, having spent the day at the event and was not surprised when the information was both manipulated and misrepresented. And how many people are wise enough to stop and say to themselves - that's not the whole story...
I can not help but wonder what information we are missing, what the world is really like when we take off the earmuffs the government so politely provides. Will we ever hear the whole story?
As I have become more involved in taking political responsibility for my beliefs, I have noticed the government sitting at my dinner table, sleeping in my bed, and lounging next to me on the couch while I watch my favorite Sunday night television show. How the products I purchase, the food I eat, and the shows I watch surreptitiously support programs I may not believe in.
The media recently reported a story I was involved in on our local nightly news. I tuned in, having spent the day at the event and was not surprised when the information was both manipulated and misrepresented. And how many people are wise enough to stop and say to themselves - that's not the whole story...
I can not help but wonder what information we are missing, what the world is really like when we take off the earmuffs the government so politely provides. Will we ever hear the whole story?
6 comments:
i'll stand by jake's idea that there should be a station with "happy news" only.
imagine a show that simply states the facts and focuses on the happier news in life?
in the meantime, it is necessary to doubt everything one hears because it's nearly impossible to prove something to be true or not. blah. are we supposed to be human lie detectors?
This is one reason I don't like watching the news. I become too cynical. I find myself starting with the assumption that everything I hear is probably untrue, to one degree or another, and that just irritates me and makes me no fun to be around. Not that everything that gets reported is a lie, but so much is that, yes, I find myself asking the question "I wonder what they're leaving out?"
There is a delicate balance of trust in our interactions with other people. My friend Kevin once told me that, when he met a girl, he always started with the assumption that she was a worthless human being, and then he gave her a chance to prove otherwise, and thus he was never disappointed. That always bothered me. When I meet someone (male or female) I try to start with the assumption that I will like that person. Sure, I am occasionally disappointed, but often I am not. On the other hand, I've seen enough of people that even when I like someone I don't trust everything they say. Ah, how to show Christ's love without being naive. That seems to be the problem, especially in our day to day interactions.
It's not good to go through life assuming everyone is playing you, but on the other hand, assuming everyone is your friend and no one is selfish can lead to great trouble and heartbreak. I suppose it comes down, on a personal level, to balancing charity with discernment and wisdom.
On a media/political/business level, it's always good to ask what the other person's reasons are, because in those situations very few people act without an agenda, and if we try to understand what they want, and why, then it is a little easier to see through the veil and into the truth.
I had originally typed a long, six paragraph response agreeing with you and venting my old frustrations. Then I remembered a quote...how could I not, it's tattooed on my forearm. And I decided Walt Whitman said it more concisely and more eloquently than ever I could.
Walt Whitman's Caution to the States
"To The States, or any one of them, or any city of The States, Resist much, obey little;
Once unquestioning obedience, once fully enslaved;
Once fully enslaved, no nation, state, city, of this earth, ever afterward resumes its liberty."
You must have HUGE forearms!
Didn't you know? I'm Popeye!
Firstly, Seth's tattoo is only "Resist much, obey little" and is the coolest tattoo I have ever seen.
Secondly, the political system is completely corrupt. Period. I wish it were not so, but it is. I don't think all politicians are such, but the unselfish ones who are truly striving to make this world a better place are few and far between. And as for the media, well, let's just say I don't waste my time watching the news anymore. All that did was stress me out, put me in a bad mood and even sometimes give me nightmares. Although good to keep up on current events, how do you know what you're hearing is really the truth?
So yeah, I'm all for the "happy news" station that Talia mentioned!
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