News. Media. Gossip. False information. Distortions of truth. Lies. In the 2020 shit show, we have so much information flying across the screen and page that it is difficult to manage, organize, and filter the good from the bad. It is incredibly stressful, and does not help any of us manage our own stress levels when there is so much information.
My husband and I have this conversation fairly regularly: How much news/information is necessary for us to digest each day, and how much is contributing to or chipping away at our mental health. He takes the 'less is more' approach, and I am of the mindset that if I know more, I can make informed decisions as a citizen. Neither are right or wrong, really. It is up to each individual to decide how much information you need to know, want to know, etc. I feel stressed out when I don't know what is happening in the current events of the world, and that stress is, to me, greater than the stress I experience when I do know what is going on in the world. So, it is about determining for yourself which stress is the lesser of the two evils.
Here comes the caveat. Digesting information is helpful when it is accurate. So, how do we know, or how confident can we be in the validity of the information we are digesting each day? That is going to be the topic of my posts next week. All week. I have taught critical thinking to college students for several years, and I am always surprised at how little they tend to know about the topic before they take the course. In their defense, I don't recall taking a course in critical thinking, ever. It was something I learned, though, over time, as a young adult. And it is more important than ever to recognize the value in thinking critically when there is so much information/misinformation/disinformation rushing through the internet/airwaves. So, with the hope of helping you learn or dust off your own critical thinking skills, at a time when they are really critical to our decision making (think science, think pandemic, think civil unrest, think American election), we are going to get busy with this topic next week. Our decisions and behaviors are, more than any time in recent history, life changing or life threatening. So, we need to get this right. Right now.
So, enjoy your weekend. Make sure to think carefully about the information you digest over the weekend, and get ready for some lessons in logic, reasoning, and critical thinking next week. What is a fallacy, and why should we be cautious when we hear them? Why should I consider carefully who the source of information is, and what they have to gain from their message? All this and more... stay tuned!
Be well, stay safe, and take care.
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