Information Is Power

For a better world

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day regarding the way our government has been taking advantage of the ongoing pandemic and the restrictions imposed in order to 'secretly' pass bills regarding a number of issues totally unrelated to the hygiene crisis. Apparently they are using the virus outbreak as an excuse as to why we no longer have the right to protest, and at the same time doing everything in their power to infuriate the people and force them to hit the streets, only to blame them later on for the stricter measures imposed to fight the spread of the virus. And I do understand that the government has to keep making laws, but I don't see why they insist on passing rather unpopular bills at times like this.

Of course the vast majority are not properly informed because their only source of information is mainstream media outlets, which at the end of the day are private corporations with interests and bills to pay. I really do not understand why they go about living life like this in this day and age, considering that a parallel universe of information regarding anything and everything is available at our fingertips with a click of a button, but it is what it is, so I've stopped wondering. However, I do believe that this is exactly what is wrong with the world nowadays, and I think we have to collectively raise awareness about the importance of being informed and the necessity of information credibility.

No time for this

Now, the real reason why people do not dig deeper is the fact that they have a very short attention span and no time at all for anything. The world is a very competitive place and we are all trying to get somewhere as quickly as possible, so, trapped in this constant race we barely ever have the time to think about the future as we constantly have to keep pace with the present. Furthermore, there is a plethora of information about everything nowadays, thus it's relatively easy to get lost and waste precious time in the pursuit of truth, so you need to develop filters that will enable you to read between the lines and know where to look at, and to be able to achieve that you have to consume tons of information. Takes effort but it's absolutely worth it. And there's more to it.

Apart from being able to make better and safer decisions and reach accurate conclusions, you will also be able to defend your fundamental rights and freedoms much more efficiently, because the truth is the most powerful weapon against corruption. The reason is that corruption itself is a means of serving the interests of the few at the expense of the many, and as you can imagine it can never work without deception and misinformation, because the many have the power in a world where there can't be a government without taxation. As you can understand, it is a moral duty to stay informed and keep an eye on the government, and to do so we have to seek information from independent sources and always doubt and research what we are told. Better safe than sorry, so check the facts instead of blindly accepting them because ''they said so''.

Back to the aforementioned conversation, and it was interrupted by another friend of mine who had just stumbled upon an article on his Facebook feed addressing the political issue we were talking about in particular, and clicked on the link to check it out and find the answers to the questions raised in his mind when he read the title. Nobody forced him to do so, and it's worth mentioning because two seconds after he clicked on the link, he decided to close the tab and return to his Facebook feed. Apparently the dude got curious, but not curious enough to care at all, because as soon as he realized that he had to read five paragraphs or so in order to get the answers to the questions he himself asked, he instantly abandoned his quest and accepted to proceed without satisfying his curiosity. I really don't understand how some people can do that.

Freedom is boring

I mean it's not like anybody tried to force-feed him this sort of information, so it's beyond me how people can be lazy enough to get over their own curiosity. I was shocked by his reaction which seemed totally natural to him, and have been thinking about it ever since. This person in particular is very easy to manipulate because he is probably never going to research what he is told by the government, or the mainstream media, or anyone having a conversation with him. You can plant a thought in his head by simply sharing an idea and it will forever reside in his mind if it doesn't sound far-fetched, because he will never take the time to dig deeper and look things up. And it's evident because he can't find the motivation to read five paragraphs to satisfy his own curiosity.

I can't help but think that people who refuse to consume information about things they are interested in are not the sharpest tools in the shed, because I believe that the constant thirst for knowledge and information is the sign of an intelligent person. Information is a very powerful weapon, and our ability as a species to produce and share it is what has driven the evolution of our civilization. The internet has revolutionized the way we share knowledge, acting as a catalyst for development, be it technological, scientific or economic, and it's now more than ever necessary to use this technology in order to protect our liberties. And it all starts with me and you doing our own research and not just blindly believing whatever we are fed by the television.

The world is not an ideal place to live, and it's never a smart option to just believe whatever you are told without doing a little research on your own. A few decades ago it was practically impossible to do so for most of the things we were interested in, but now we have the power to use knowledge and information to our advantage and leave no room for corruption and misinformation. However, it takes a lot of mental work to reach a certain level of awareness necessary for the development of the filters needed to process an ocean of information and pick the correct bits of it, and this is solitary work as you can understand. My friend is not willing to do his part, and it's absolutely respected but not understandable as far as I'm concerned.

Pays to be curious

However, even though I disagree with his stance and think that it's exactly what is wrong with the world today, I do not take things personally. Even though we have huge differences in the way we think and perceive the world, we are still good friends because we respect and care about each other, and this is another very important detail I would like you to pay attention to. United we stand, and we should never be divided because we are all brothers and sisters. We live in the same world and share the same problems and needs, and the advancement of our civilization has always been dependent on our unity and cooperation. We will never be able to achieve big things unless we remain united and care for each other.

Sharing is caring as they say, so living in the information age comes with benefits we should look to take advantage of in an effort to uplift each other and protect our rights and freedoms. If someone you know is faced with an obstacle and you have life-changing information for them, please share and show them the way. Lead them in the right direction and teach them to do the same for somebody else; make them realize the importance of information accessibility and enable them to see the ways in which it can change our lives for the better once and for all. We are the heroes of our time and it's up to us to do what's necessary to ensure the future generations will have a better world to live in.

They say you should judge a man by his questions rather than his answers, and I fully agree with that. Knowledge is infinite and nobody was born with it, so it's a product of hard work, devotion and sacrifice. A man without questions is a man with no knowledge, because making observations and raising questions is the only way to gather information in regard to whatever it may be we are looking for. It is never too late to learn something new and it's always better to be informed, as it basically means it is impossible to be deceived and taken advantage of. Even if you live in a peaceful, blessed corner of this world, it is always better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.

I appreciate your attention,

@lordneroo

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