I like to keep informed, but learned a long time ago it is impossible to nuture and maintain a comprehensive understanding in all the topics that tickle my fancy, and thats not counting the infinitely larger number of topics things that either interest me not in the least, or not enough to dig deeper.
As an inhabitant on this globe, and, more narrowly, as a citizen of the United States, I believe it is important for each of us to take a stab at understanding things that affect policy decisions (that is to say, everything) so we can better ride herd on our elected representatives.
A complicating factor is this whole information thing fouls up when governments become hypersecretive, propagandistic, and/or are populated by baldfaced liars, when journalists go astray (bypassing fact checking and other difficult chores, and become a glorified typing service blinded by their own egos and burgeoning salaries), and when the underlying problems have subtle and complex interactions that aren't amenable to the 'go/no-go' check gauge of a five second sound bite.
It stinks of hubris and ego, but I figure, if I can't keep track of all these threads, then I'm fairly certain the majority of people are in an even leakier boat, and more prone to buying over simplified thinking, and out-and-out bullroar as incontrovertible fact.
All we can do is keep fighting the good fight.
As an inhabitant on this globe, and, more narrowly, as a citizen of the United States, I believe it is important for each of us to take a stab at understanding things that affect policy decisions (that is to say, everything) so we can better ride herd on our elected representatives.
A complicating factor is this whole information thing fouls up when governments become hypersecretive, propagandistic, and/or are populated by baldfaced liars, when journalists go astray (bypassing fact checking and other difficult chores, and become a glorified typing service blinded by their own egos and burgeoning salaries), and when the underlying problems have subtle and complex interactions that aren't amenable to the 'go/no-go' check gauge of a five second sound bite.
It stinks of hubris and ego, but I figure, if I can't keep track of all these threads, then I'm fairly certain the majority of people are in an even leakier boat, and more prone to buying over simplified thinking, and out-and-out bullroar as incontrovertible fact.
All we can do is keep fighting the good fight.
i will try it