Monday, March 16, 2009

Local

woman_hoeing

I guess that you should take some time every week to take a look at the news.  I personally recommend reading The Economist cover to cover on Sunday morning.  Excellent writing, good clear insights.  It is canted toward the making money at all costs neck of the political spectrum, but you can live with it.   I am thinking about ordering up a subscription to the Nation to see how the liberals think, but I can get the same from NPR for free.

Because, you see  I think that it is the frequency that appeals to me so.  Just once a week.  That is enough time for seeing something significant that occurs on the great stage. 

You see, I think that a lot of the zeitgeist of the current thrashing around is our REQUIREMENT for immediacy.  We want to know everything when it happens.  It is almost a game, who can make it to the water cooler first with the most recent nugget of bad news.

But think about this trend.  How much of your life is spent trolling for the latest tidbit proving that the world is going to hell instead of going out and doing something useful.   Of course the world is going to hell, just ask the old men in Athens in Socrates days, they coulda’ ran down the whole deal for you.

My point here is that the most important things are the local things.   Go talk to your neighbors and gossip about the new family that has moved in.  Take some cookies to the old lady next door.  Hoe your garden. 

The news will be there on Sunday morning.  What will not be there is the shrill demand for immediacy and immediate resolution that is the hallmark of this petulant and demanding age.

2 comments:

treesong said...

Ahhhh...the best of life, in my opinion, is to cut oneself free of the phone, the internet, the TV and all other media at least one day a week.

This information, digital, ga-ga age adds more communication "options" every day to their various products and promotions. This is followed by millions of people attempting to "connect" to the blather in case they've missed something!

I say, take a walk instead. Entertain yourself while exploring the plant and animal life within 100 yards of your front door. That is, if you're fortunate enough to have any!

mistah charley, ph.d. said...

Life is Short - Don't Listen to NPR

-- at least not their so-called news.

In the tradition of Lenny Bruce (upon whom be peace), I'm a liberal with the cancelled checks to prove it. I subscribe to the Nation, but count myself a former listener to NPR - instead of the latter, I suggest the websites for the Nation, or CounterPunch.org, or TomDispatch.

May you be well, happy, and at peace.