I just read an interesting article that said that an increasingly large number of people do not read -- or more importantly, engage themselves with -- the news.
Among teens, 60 percent paid minimal or no attention to news; for adults 30 or younger, the figure was 48 percent, and for older adults 23 percent. (Harvard Magazine)While I'm not suggesting that we have to be up-to-date on current events to lead a happy, fulfilled life, there's something to be said about being engaged in the world around us. Thinking requires time and effort, but if we don’t learn from what’s happening now, how can we plan for a better future?
We've all been there, quoting that one headline so that it sounds like we have our finger on the pulse. On the other hand, we’ve also had conversations with someone who articulates the details and perspectives in a given article. What better way to learn than to engage in dialogue about a subject, the same way I've shared the above article with you?
If learning is important to you, please consider the following: In the next article you read, what detail stands out? What questions does that detail trigger? When will you engage someone in a deep, if brief, conversation to get another perspective?
This investment of a few minutes a day can help us to stay informed and better armed to shape our own futures!
Quote of the Week: "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few people engage in it." - Henry Ford
1 comment:
I feel like being engaged with a subject is more than just paying attention or remembering details about it. Engagement is a personal connection that means there is something special about that material and that individual.
Many things may draw me in, whether it's the catchy headline, the attractive news anchor, or the colors of the brochure but whether I remember the content or not usually depends on how much it touches on an area that I really care about.
Personally, if the article were about politics, I'd probably skim it to just know what's going on (and not remember any of the content). If it were about rugby or coaching overachievers, I'd naturally spend longer reading it and be able to communicate it to someone else more successfully.
Engaging means something has reached you on a deeper level. Maybe with the barrage of media it's rare that we find topics that really engage us on that level.
Thank goodness for blogs, right?
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