Recently I have been thinking about what, and how someone stays informed, taking a more active role in one’s everyday life. And how difficult it can be to be truly present. Since the election, I’ve seen many narratives, written and discussed, regarding current state of affairs, what good and just looks like, what it isn’t, and more importantly, what the correct view is. Each opinion often valid in its own way, but at the same time, inherently flawed to the extent that the person creating the content, or saying the words, rarely takes the time to understand the party they’re speaking about. I’ve also found it concerning when we jump to conclusions about anyone or anything. It’s as though we have been conditioned to do so; years spent consuming media, (specifically that in the social form} has created an environment where it’s difficult to decipher what media is correct, where it’s coming from, and how it may in fact be subverting our opinion, or why it deserves to be read or seen; quite often isolating us from each other but also ourselves.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t objective truths, and that the world is some murky pool of unknowns, wherein nothing matters. I don’t believe this to be true either. However, I can, to an extent, understand why it is so difficult for people to stay informed, especially in an age of limitless distractions, filled with constant misinformation. I feel that we often underestimate the impact that a fully distracted life has on us; and how much time is required for one to stay informed, discerning what is correct and incorrect from the ether. Quite simply, it’s no easy task, and when we subject others to the will of our opinions, discerning what they may or may not believe by how they choose to respond, or not respond to a given topic, can sometimes be disingenuous; especially in an age of the terminally distracted. That doesn’t mean that we cannot, at times, take things at face value, but it’s important to note that humans are often complex creatures, shaped by countless actions over a lifetime of experiences. If we do not ask someone to elaborate, engaging in a more significant conversation about how a given opinion was formed, then it could mean that we’re quick to judge without fully understanding the many complex reasons a person has for making a decision. This serves no one. It’s too easy to fall into an encampment and forget about how media and information is served to each one of us, the way its crafted, and how the algorithm decides what we should view or read next. It’s difficult to ascertain what the world looks like through another individual’s eyes, if we do not ask.
It’s sometimes easy to forget that many of us lack the time or effort to investigate further, or have been so conditioned to consume that we fail to review what it is that we’re consuming, not only with information, but also amongst ourselves. This doesn’t set aside personal responsibility, but it’s hard to assume that everyone approaches a subject with the same level of understanding. And in an age of short attention spans, quippy stories that only serve to create even larger rifts between us have made it abundantly clear just how little ability many of us have to create real conversations about significant subjects. We fear the conversation but embrace the outrage. The level of distraction that exists in today’s world is powerful, and to not acknowledge this can be an unfortunate reminder of just how easy it is to create opinions without understanding that many of us are not often encouraged to challenge anything, be it our own ideals, or that of others. Or, more unfortunately, we’re taught to challenge without fully understanding, not completely realizing where our own level of biases shape the world as we see it.
There is a level of compartmentalization that comes from living in a world such as this, and in order to survive within it, we have to come to terms with how our morals are justified, especially in relation to the other. We should be skeptical about how the information we consume is created, packaged, and delivered, while also understanding how it has shaped our life and reinforced our morals; questioning our own beliefs as much as we do others. So many of us have built an identity, and in order to find comfort within it, we have to feel justified in the way it shapes our life and completes our understanding of ourselves and the way we see others. But by doing this, we internalize information, allowing it to become the foundation of who we are, and when that information is found to be incorrect, we are in conflict with ourselves, and instead of challenging our own personal ideals and beliefs, we lash out at others. It’s important to look critically at how our own opinions are informed, especially in relation to how we judge others. We must be willing to engage in tough dialogue with others. We have to be willing to take the time to discuss, understand, explain, and elaborate. It’s far too easy to have an opinion and far too hard to question why the opinion exists. If we don’t take the time, if we don’t try to discuss difficult things, then we will continue to be misinformed, angry, and disconnected from each other.
We should ask more questions of ourselves and others, and make far less statements.
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