There are many voices calling out to us each day. Family members, friends, co-workers, the news media, advertising, clients, authors of the books we read, celebrities, and persons on social media are just some of the people every day trying to influence our thinking and actions. It can become overwhelming at times, and to make it easier we might choose to focus in on just a handful of influencers. The problem then becomes which influencers will we listen to?
One of the skills many have lost is the ability to do critical thinking. Many people today are not deep thinkers. They allow others to do their thinking for them. They watch the news on television and let the talking heads tell then what to think about the issues of the day. It doesn't matter whether your favorite source of news is mainstream media or one of the cable news organizations. They all tell you what they want you to believe the news of the day is and how you should feel about it. As a result, we have been conditioned to think in short time-bites and programmed to believe what we are being told is all we need to know about the issue. Unfortunately, understanding the story takes longer than a 2-3 minute summary of the story, and if you watch different broadcasts you will quickly learn that the same story can be spun in numerous ways. Liberal news outlets will have one spin; conservative outlets will have a completely different spin; the truth may well lie somewhere in the middle, and it's out job to try to discover that.
We've been given the ability to think for ourselves, to form our own opinions. Those opinions will be shaped by the information we take in. That is why it is important that we watch who we allow to inform us about events of the day. If your broke brother-in-law wants to give you financial advice, don't listen. Don't take relationship advice from someone who's been married four times. When someone in the media talks about a news item, discern his or her agenda before accepting it as true. Most will have an agenda.
Our worldview will be shaped by the voices we listen to. You may not think you have a worldview, but we all do. Once we form our worldview, that worldview will form us. We will adapt to the worldview we have created. Anything we hear that is contrary to that worldview will be initially rejected. Our actions will be shaped by that worldview. It's important that we take time to identify our worldview and see how it impacts our lives.
Our lives are impacted so much by the information that we accept as true. It's important to choose carefully who we listen to.
No comments:
Post a Comment