Solving Problems

Well that’s a big topic! I began writing today’s blog with this one anonymous quote found on the internet:

“Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in the problem.”

I admit scratching my head over this quote. We all know it is intrinsically true. But how do we provide good examples of it? We need those examples to help us live up to the quote. How do we solve problems by avoiding participating in them in the first place?

Well, one simple problem comes to mind. Public discourse is rife with foul language and cheapens the discussion. One way to solve that problem is to speak with clear and clean language. Others will follow in time. And with that a return to non-foul language discourse will happen.

Another example: understand there is a shortage of volunteers locally? Contact a few people in town and let them know you are available. Be sure to tell them your interests and skill sets.

The Warrenville Arts Council grew out of an idea in the early days of the Tourism and Arts Commission. The TAC is a funding agency. What it needed was a programming agency to partner with in meeting the objectives of the Hotel/Motel Fund. WAC came into being 3 years later. It worked well for 7 seasons but closed down because not enough new volunteers were coming in to spread the work load of the existing volunteers. Spread too thin, those volunteers shut it down and donated its excess cash to non-profit entities consistent with WAC’s original objectives. At the time of shut down we needed an bookkeeper/accountant for 5 hours per month, a marketing specialist for 5 hours per month, and extra hands available for event production duties (about 3 hours per month per person).

Problem: biased news reporting. Solution: make your opinions know in writing or over the phone; email is probably the best bet. If you feel no change is imminent, turn your attention to another news media outlet. I long ago dropped newspaper subscriptions. Same with news magazines and their spotty analysis. I finally turned off the television news outlets with the exception of reporting on actually breaking news. I don’t need their analysis anymore. I can do that myself or find more trusted academics who know what they are talking about. To this point I give you this quote:

“Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.”  ~ Mandy Hale

This strategy comes in handy when someone wants to debate an issue with you. If they are opened minded, then talk with them. If not, listen and then walk away.

Another thought on news media is this quote I picked up on the internet the other day:

            “Illusion of Choice:

There are 1500 newspapers, 1100 magazines, 9000 radio stations, 1500 TV stations and 2400 publishers.  These are all owned by 6 corporations and 272 executives that control 90% of what 277 million Americans see, hear and read.”

~Mint Press News

Just think about that quote for a few minutes. When someone talks about the ‘free press’ I’m fairly certain they are speaking of this situation without realizing how controlled and un-free it actually is. The solution of course is to do your own thinking and researching the news on the internet or in books and research sites sponsored by universities. The context of the facts is the single most important feature of any news bite. Getting that context is damned near impossible from public media. So do the legwork yourself. The public media will soon learn they have competition and may very well change their course.

Well, that’s enough for one day. I’ll revisit this topic another time and focus more on our local newspaper, Village Chronicles, with a view toward understanding its volunteer needs and why filling that need is so important.

Meanwhile, enjoy the day and the weekend ahead!

March 6, 2015