Keeping current with my immediate surroundings is a full-time job (what my daughter ate for lunch, when my term paper is due, how many clean pairs of socks I have). I rarely turn on the television or read the news. As a result, I did not know that an earthquake had devastated Haiti until three days later, when my teacher mentioned it in class. And Heinz Fischer is the Austrian president…not special ketchup.
Now it’s been well over a month since BP’s drilling rig exploded off the Louisiana coast, and the few rogue snapshots of greasy ducks I have seen don’t do the big picture any justice. I realize that it is time to get in the loop, which is to say, become actively aware of the circle of life (a.k.a. global affairs). So this morning, I google the gulf. What I discover is indeed devastating; in fact, at first I’m sorry to have looked. The environmental and economic implications of this disaster are blood-curdling, and efforts to curtail the leak have only made it worse. But in spite of my temptation to crawl back under a rock, the fact of the matter is that regardless of how self-absorbed we are in local living, global affairs have a direct impact on our daily existence.
It behooves an individual to know what is going on in the world, for several reasons:
#1. You live on the earth. What happens on earth, happens to you.
#2. When you don’t have a clue, you run the risk of looking stupid. (Trust me on this one.)
#3. You will make better informed decisions, from what you eat to how you spend your talent and treasure. Awareness is Empowerment!
We are alive in tumultuous times. Between earthquakes and oil spills, market crashes and political upheaval, it is absolutely critical to stay abreast of current events. While the heavily biased and controlled mainstream American media is better than nothing, I recommend news resources such as The Economist, Alternet, or The Independent.
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