The New News

     When did opinion polls become the major news story?  There was a time when the news was the important factor and not people's opinion of the news.  A news reporter was required to give an objective, unbiased story and people could listen and make up their own minds.  Are we so mindless now that we simply look to see which side has the most people and jump on the bandwagon?  Can we no longer make a decision for ourselves?
     The Ben Franklin method of making decisions has always worked for our family.  Take a piece of paper, fold it in half (the long way) so that you have two columns.  List all the pros (good things/consequences about the decision) in the left column and all the cons (bad things/consequences) in the right column.  Look at the pros versus cons and make a decision.  Not a very emotional decision making process but it works and do we really want a decision based on emotions?  If we take emotion out of our decisions what are we left with?  THINKING!
     My son frequently makes a big production about how too much thinking hurts his brain.  I love the dramatics of a twelve year old (well, ... sometimes).  Contrary to popular belief, thinking is NOT a bad thing.  How we think is one of the things that makes us individuals.  Our way of thinking is OURS.  I'm a huge proponent of people being taught HOW to think versus WHAT to think.  What is the old saying, you can give a man a fish and feed him or a day or teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime?  How about teaching him how to think for himself?
     This is not a problem with our education system, this is a problem with responsibility.  Who is responsible for teaching our children how to think?  We are.  We have all become lazy and let others begin to do our thinking for us.  Worse yet, we have taught our children to do the same.  Thinking and making our own decision about an issue requires effort.  You have to become informed about the issue and think about it.  It is so much easier just to be told. Yet at the same time when we do this, we surrender our thinking and opinions to another.  In effect, we are surrendering ourselves.  We are allowing others to make our decisions.  This is not in our best interest.  We need to stop being lazy and think for ourselves.  So, as far as the news goes, I'll listen to it or read it but not in the same way.  I will think for myself and find out the facts on my own.  After all, I know how to use Google as well as the rest of them.