Pontificatus Interruptus: Is it a Crisis?

Seriously, folks, how does media do it? To fulfill the task of NEWS, the media has to spend 24/7 looking for hideous circumstance–or even better–circumstance that leads to outrage. Then produce columns of scorn, pictures of evil, witty flash with indignation, careful clarification on the crafty affluent, troubled terms apropos the drug ridden poor, blasts at the government, vapid indignation at corruption, commerce-based concern at corporate contempt, and my all time favorite: myopic melodies producing diminutive murmurs about the degrading milieu. And have you ever spoken to someone who was at the core of a NEWS story?

They always say the same thing: The reporters got it wrong. What’s up with that? Is NEWS a process to control information and dumb down America; is it the left wing media? Both reports are juvenile.

Others say we all love a good tragedy with a happy ending–that NEWS is just media–our chorus. Let’s try that theory. I am going to blog (I hate that word) with the chorus in mind: This morning there was a tragedy somewhere. My dog is happy. Nice people live down the block and they invited me over for brunch. The schoolchildren are laughing. I had a wonderful time with my new lover and I saw Like Water for Chocolate for the fifteenth time. (Could have been worse, it could have been Amelie.) If I light a bomb in your computer, would it wake you up now? I doubt it.

I’ll try again with a little more glitz. I dig the ecosystem-interconnectedness-one-world-mantra. The planet is a mesh. There are wicked citizens and upright communities. Snore…

Do you really crave another torrent of blather? I am haunted by the question: Does NEWS matter any more? People like to believe a dire event in a far off location impacts them. So NEWS should have a place. But too much NEWS leads to a lack of sense. Really, this is driving me nuts–where is the balance?

Or maybe a part of us is tuned to look for potential events–information can help by explaining and therefore facilitating preparation for the future. But are flying daggers necessary? Is NEWS supposed to be an invasive species? I have to admit I love a good environmental mess. On the other hand, I don’t see any worth in a barrage of scars.

Perhaps NEWS is not meaningless; however, it is secondary to each individual’s spiritual, emotional, and psychological framework. With novel structured fiction, people read a work and then they decide if the work has meaning for them. With NEWS structured fiction, the delivery system demands attention, regardless of the content, like ear buds braying out amped up mayhem–every day. How could that not decrease clarity and deaden human critical thinking processes? Wait, that’s all backwards. The function of a NEWS organization is to provide critical analysis of events and to distribute relevant information.

Oh, that’s it. Critical thinking impedes nonsense–now we are getting somewhere. Here we go: The bombardments of augmented daily proceedings impair reasoning when their frequency reduces everything to triviality. That’s one reason it is so tough to judge which NEWS events matter to you. On the other hand, some events are genuinely important and their upsurge means the proceedings represent an essential development. So how do you know which actions matter to you and yours? Going from one NEWS outlet to another NEWS outlet is hardly critical thinking; doesn’t that NEWS-hopping just expand the torrent of blather?

Or should NEWS nurture your ability perform critical thinking? Let’s try this theory as well: Okay, we’ll take an example at random. Hmm, let’s see. Oh, I know, a little something about the climate. Ya’ gotta’ love the subtly, right?

The recent Midwest tornadoes indicate enhanced climatic cultivation of malevolent super cells over the coming years; we are on a decadal time scale here, not a century time scale. We already know the worst-case set of climate events will be outside our experience. And, the dire prognosis is unfolding before us. I wish it wasn’t; this adjustment is going to be one heck of a tough deal.

So NEWS can bombard you: EVENT, EVENT, EVENT!

Or, NEWS can help you with information on the relevance of storm types by location, their evolution, and their raison d’être. Trend data is decisive. Even so, in addition to clarification, a discerning filter that separates tasteless from vital is critical now. In this case, that filter consists of your research, assessment, and conclusion regarding the topic. With that, you can move forward in your life, make plans, adjust plans, or quell reactivity. These days you must substantiate the information–rather than being batted about by NEWS–so the information empowers you. Techniques for critical thinking matters more than the NEWS. There is a lot of NEWS.

Pontificatus Interuptus: Maybe it isn’t the crisis. Maybe the crisis is we need a system we can trust to evaluate events and distribute information.