We are so often shaped by the information we expose ourselves to. This can be as personal as the choices we make in regards to what we watch on television, or as expansive as the type of company we decide to keep. Either way, that which we expose ourselves to have a pivotal hand in shaping not only who we are or what we know, but how we will react when presented with new information. This concept is something I've been wrestling with for quite some time now and I've come to the conclusion that despite how blatantly corny it is, the NBA's old theme that "Reading is Fundamental" is a culturally vital and meaningful phrase.
I have a friend who constantly stresses to those he is conversation with that if you have not wrestled with the information, or done the proper research about a given topic than please keep your opinion to yourself. I thought about that and wondered whether or not that was an arrogant statement. I concluded that it wasn't for one main reason. Dr. Gregory Carr of Howard University says that when you open your mouth you put your brain on display. I would like to think if I displayed my brain it would show people that I am an active seeker of knowledge not just someone who wants to hear themselves speak.
This topic is more meaningful at this time, than if at no other time. The nation has witnessed a community organizer from Chicago go from State Senator, to Senator, to President-elect now finally President Obama. With that comes the feeling that the country will enter into a new world of "posts". People feel that we will be "post-racial" or "post partisan" or even "post modern". However, in order to get to that place we have to move forward with a consistent and well informed view of history. This seems logical. It only seems right that one can't be post-anything unless they know what they are moving past.
This is where reading becomes a key point. There is much work done on a bevy of topics. Too much for any one person to seriously think themselves an expert on everything. However, in order to be beyond partisanship in politics, we must know how it got there, who introduced those concepts and for what reason. Any efforts to move to a “post-partisan” government without that knowledge are nothing other than empty dreams. This example goes for politics, sports, music, finance or any other topic of choice. Without a serious analysis of the topic, one's opinions are rendered useless because they have no foundation for their existence.
On the surface this idea of reading to gain a more intimate familiarity with a topic may seem obvious. This is not always apparent though and with a new President who demands that the citizens hold he and his administration accountable the burden of being informed doubles in its value. Being informed is more than simply catching the latest Keith Olbermann program; it is also more than having the news on in the morning when you get ready for work. Being informed is looking beyond what is presented in front of you, to find out as much as you can about a given topic. Don't be mistaken though, there will be things you simply don't know or weren't able to catch. That is not a problem. In those instances simply reserve your opinion until you've had the opportunity to fully inform yourself. In these days of information, facts are always around. It is our job to find them.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I daresay I am not quite in accordance with this implication. Though it is without a doubt that reading, and other forms of exposure does bring about the appropriate knowledge that is essential in moving past a particular era, for lack of better word, it most certainly is not the only indicator that this movement is needed. It seems to me that a mere point of pragmatism is what does the trick in regards to certain, specifically political systems. An ordinary, non-informed citizen surely does not need to expose himself to the history and purpose of the politics that now governs him/her, however, they physically feel the repercussions of its flaws. Acting therefore to remedy the infected portion of the situation, which in many cases is the entire establishment in all its anachronistic glory, may be the solution, we see a move towards a 'post' ... whatever it may be. So basically, indepth exposure, though advantageous, can never beat the practicality of what is felt and observed; especially when surrounded by a barage of those who are in the same/ similar situation at the hands of said establishment/ political body.
Post a Comment