"Short Attention Span Theater"

I'm a pretty big fan of NPR, and heard this story on my way to work last week. The story is about our ever shortening attention spans and how we have gotten so used to having everything at our fingertips instantly. 

To quote the article: "The impatience with which people have come to expect everything to be delivered to them is a terrifying prospect," she says.

The Yale graphic design critic calls the phenomenon "short attention span theater" and says it's amplified by the digital gadgets most of us carry these days. Her students are constantly engaged in multimedia multitasking — reading, working on essays and checking Facebook every 10 minutes.

"You just have to wonder to what degree are they actually assimilating anything?" she says. "And my big concern is how deep anybody can go if they're spread so thin, if they skim everything."

I notice this in myself sometimes, and it worries me.  I feel like my attention span has gotten shorter and I think I'm more easily distracted than I used to be.  I think my only "saving grace" is that I enjoy reading, and I can still read for hours on end if a book is good.  

I often wonder if technology is making it harder to connect on a personal level.  Are we so used to connecting in the digital world that we no longer remember to connect in the "real" world?  Are we substituting real personal connections with "fake" surface-level connections?  Or is the way we connect just changing?

A different viewpoint on the Pro-Life debate

This Open Letter to Congressman Paul Ryan is one of the most well-written articles I have ever read about the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life topic.  This mother talks about a very personal, heart-wrenching experience that is rarely spoken about or addressed.

The main point of the letter is that until you are faced with a situation, you have no idea what you would do. You might think you know the answer, but until the situation is a reality and no longer an abstract, far away possibility, I don't know if we can really say for sure. 

I think this is true of many different situations in life, not just this one.  I don't think any of us really know what we would do if we lost our jobs and had no way of providing for our families.  Would we ask for government assistance? It's easy to say no, but until you are in that struggle, do we really know?

It would be great if life were black and white all the time, and if life worked out as easily and magically as we expect it to.  However, life isn't like that. There is a whole lot of gray area in the choices we are faced with sometimes.  

It's easy to judge a person or situation from afar.  It's easy to make value statements about the choices others make when we have never been there ourselves.  It's easy to assume that people have selfish or sinister motivations when they making a choice or a decision we disagree with.  

The hard part of life is actually finding empathy for others and helping others survive the difficult times.  I believe having compassion and empathy for others is one of our duties as responsible citizens and human beings.  I think it's important to hear people out and to learn about different viewpoints. If we don't try to learn about things other people have been through, how will we learn and grow as an educated and developed society?   Without each other, what do we really have?

Mitt Romney and Mormonism

I recently ran across this video on YouTube.  It is a candid and off-air conversation between Mitt Romney and a radio personality about his Mormon faith.  As someone who is not Mormon and not particularly knowledgeable about this faith, I wish Romney would have talked more about it in this election. It's interesting that this conversation took place off the air, and that he hasn't been willing to discuss it in a public forum in any detail.

I understand that there is a separation between church and state in our country, and I believe that someone's religion should not be the sole reason you vote for or against a candidate. It really should have little effect on the decision.  But I also believe that it's foolish to believe that someone's religion does not have any bearing on their policies.  Mitt Romney is also someone that is very devout, and has held many leadership positions within the church.  I think it would be hard for someone like that to divorce himself completely from his faith when making policy decisions, especially those that deal with what could be considered moral issues.

I think many people are curious about the Mormon faith, even more so now that Romney is running for office. One of the biggest examples I have seen about this curiosity is this IAMA thread on reddit.  The person behind this IAmA is a former Mormon who does his best to answer the MANY questions people have posted here.

I think the media has largely avoided the topic, and Romney has not addressed the topic himself in detail.  Why is that? Has the media avoided the topic because faith is always a hard discussion to have, especially in conjunction with politics?  Or does it have more to do with not wanting to offend Romney and other Mormons?

I would think that someone that is considered a leader in his faith would be eager to use this opportunity to share his beliefs, even if it's just on a basic level.  There are a lot of rumors and probably false information out there about Mormonism (as this video shows), and I'm surprised that Romney has not wanted to use this election to dispel at least some of this misinformation. And when someone shows genuine curiosity about the faith, why not address it publicly and help people understand the more confusing aspects about Mormonism?  Why get defensive and upset?  I feel like being open about his beliefs would probably make people less curious about it, and give people a better understanding about who Mitt Romney is as a person and a candidate.

The purpose of this blog

I decided to start this blog because I am constantly posting articles about things I find interesting on Facebook.  I love to have discussions about current events, politics, and the media, even if I have different opinions than the other people I am talking with (makes it more interesting!).  However, I find that many people in my Facebook circle are not interested in these things.

I want to make this blog a place where I can write about the many different things that interest me, while also discussing those things with others.  I would also like others to share things they find interesting with me.  I want to have intelligent, thoughtful conversations about the things happening in our society (even if I end up talking to myself).

I hope anyone that decides to follow my blog enjoys reading it, and engages in the discussions when something interests them.

Happy discussing!