Truth and Consequences

Juxtapositions in life. So many juxtapositions. Fashion or food? And are we talking chic clothing or chic food? How does one actually describe the latter? And celebrities and news makers – which is which? Are news makers celebrities or people who actually make news that matters to each of us? Leaders, scientists, discoverers and creators of startling things that will or may change our lives?

Scanning the news exposes these stark contrasts. An earthquake with billions of dollars in damage and 28 deaths followed by a story of a rich, beautiful woman marrying a handsome actor. Somehow these two stories are of equal or near equal value? Or the new fashion line of a successful designer competes with the financial sector’s news of the day. Or maybe the news broadcast contains a ‘good feeling’ story for the day, showing a young boy leading an injured dog back to the worried, loving family.

I have always struggled with the dichotomy of stories reported next to one another. Seems to me the news should have departments that separate genres of ‘news’. After all, all reporting is not news. A lot of news is just entertainment. Like sports, celebrities, music, art, theatre, fashion and food. Yes, these things are important to us for many reasons. And yes, new trends in each of them are often fascinating and mind expanding. So they are important, each in their way; but the reality is they are not life altering.

Seems to me news is about subject matters that are or have the potential of altering our lives in some way. A new discovery by scientists that will lead to other important findings that is important to us. A skirmish in a foreign land that may grow into a hot war that could inflame a large region in which we have interests, that is important to us and it is clearly news. Or the death of a well-known leader either in our own nation or another country is news. The now-gone leader had a news worthy impact on our lives recently or in the past. Somehow we wish to remember him and give him his due.

A new social program that promises improvements in the standard of education, medicine or some other life-altering condition, is news. Or the collapse of that program is news as well.

The status of government and its leadership is news. It may deal with political matters and shenanigans but all of those are news if the outcomes may be affected. And so we read of these things day after day and hope resolution comes so we can move on to something more important.

Scanning the news for the important items is an increasingly difficult task these days. We encounter so much pulp junk, pulp fiction, manufactured public relations passed off as news. It is difficult to discern what is news and what is not news. How are we to know what is important and what is not?

That is our job – yours and mine. We are called on to discern what is truth and what is not, what is of value and what is not. If we don’t, the consequences can be dire. The outcomes or consequences of non-truth news items or misdirection can be serious. They are not games being played for childish results. They are serious matters with serious consequences.

Truth or consequences – an old phrase in our vocabulary lexicon, one even used for the name of a popular game show. Truth or Consequences. Also a town in New Mexico. Truth or consequences is a logic string that embraces a stark reality.

Be prepared for the truth, or live by the truth, and by all means understand the consequences of such behavior. The outcomes are important to us. If the items being reported are not important, then they are not news. They should not be reported.

I’m always dealing with this question. Have for decades. The big question is our nation doing this? Are we all dealing with the truth? Are we really prepared for the consequences come what may?

I wonder about that every day. I also worry over it. Do you too?

March 10, 2017