Amy is just dying to know why I say ‘meh’ to all the Bin Laden business. Well, firstly, I am not very interested in current political events. I have no practical influence whatsoever over such things, so I see no need to concern myself with them. It’s like how Sherlock Holmes didn’t know that the earth went around the sun. Watson, shocked at hearing of his ignorance, questions him about the fact. Holmes replies that he sees no need to fill his brain with uneeded information; he would prefer to keep his mind a neat and ordered room with only the tools he needs to do his work. Now, granted, this is kind of only loosely relevant. But it came to my head just now, so take it for what it’s worth. But will someone please tell me why I should care about something that will be completely unaffected by my care?
I’m against the media and news in general. I think we’d all be better off without it. I’m not saying it’s like inherently evil or anything, but as I learned from Postman, it’s merely a form of entertainment. And I’m not a fan of tv anyways (or the radio for that matter). That’s why I say meh.
But now that I’ve been dragged down into this futile and pointless mess, I’ll make a comment. Were I, in my apathy, to have an opinion about whether this should be something to be happy over, I honestly couldn’t tell you. My first thought is caution at rejoicing about anyone dying. That said, I believe that justice needs to be served and that wicked men ought to be brought to justice. As a Christian, I am concerned with social justice. So from that sort of a standpoint, I suppose it’s a good thing Bin Laden is dead (if in fact the media is right, which I am dubious about when it comes to trusting the media, as Mr. Callihan pointed out that I ought to be). But from another standpoint, I do not stand in judgement of any man personally. I know not what exactly the future holds, but I know that God will right all wrongs and that he will lovingly redeem his cosmos. People will get what they deserve. But I am not one to judge who deserves what, and I do not deign to put myself in such a position as to definitively judge any man upon eternal matters. Who knows what his circumstances and mind is. Not I, for one.
So there you are Amy. I hope you’re happy.
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We will speak of this at Hill Abbey.
I agree with Caleb on this one. We are really just like the all the peasants through out history– only we Americans think we have power and know so much more. We don’t know nothing. C.S. Lewis writes of something similar somewheres. I’ll have to look up the quote. I remember he found war news to be notoriously wrong and he thought we all have enough going on in our own lives and those of our friends and family to be overly concerned about world affairs. I think we must be some of the most ignorant and loud mouthed peoples who ever lived.
Happy that you answered my question, yes. Happy with your answer, eh, not so much.
You raised some very interesting points which I’d like to address. Not that I necessarily disagree of course.
“I have no practical influence whatsoever over such things.”
I think you do have an influence. You have a vote for starters, and you have the ability influence other people. Both your vote, and your ability to influence people could have a very practical influence on current events if you so chose. I’m not dissing your decision not to concern yourself, I’m simply saying.
“But will someone please tell me why I should care about something that will be completely unaffected by my care?”
How are we defining care here? You could care about something and not do anything, that means you don’t think it’s worth caring about. You can care about something and do something, that means you really do care and you will affect that something by your care. Second, why should I care about abortion? I can’t outlaw it, I can’t stop it, so why should I care that millions of babies get murdered?
Third, as a citizen of the United States, is it in any way your duty to care about what goes in your nation?
“I’m against the media and news in general. I think we’d all be better off without it.”
Woah, let’s define some terms here. What do you mean by media and news? Are you seriously arguing that we should totally abolish media and news?
I think all things in moderation applies here. News does have some value. Heh, I would have failed a class assignment if weren’t for media and news. No, I’m not a fan of tv, but on the other hand it does have some advantages. Of course, if you’re arguing that all entertainment is bad… Please define entertainment and radio by the way.
One comment on your last paragraph and then I’ll stop.
Does the fact that God will judge everybody in the final judgement mean we shouldn’t judge people now? There are laws that people can and do break. Should we not judge them at all, either socially or legally?
I’m sorry for the length of this, but I have been bothered a lot recently by the apathy of young people towards their nation. Especially conservative young people. It seems that the more conservative a young person is the more he’s going to be apathetic about our nation. It is our country for good or bad, and we should be proud of it. Molly, you said we are ignorant and loud mouthed because we are concerned about world affairs. Wait, isn’t it our nation, shouldn’t we know what’s going on? Shouldn’t we be proud when our nation does well?
Why is it a crime to care about our nation, to care about what’s happening in the world?
Sorry for the length, it wasn’t intended to be so long.
And my apologies if I’ve misinterpreted anything ya’ll have said.
And that last sentence about asking why it’s a crime. I definitely didn’t get that impression from either of you, but I have gotten that impression from other people that I’ve talked to.
Amy–I think you did miss understand what I said. I didn’t mean we were ignorant and loud mouthed because we cared about world affairs. Rather, I meant that we are ignorant because we get all our information from sources which often times are not accurate–that is the media. The stuff Americans are fed usually isn’t what is really going on it the world. Then, we poor dupes think we know something and shoot off our opinions showing how hopelessly ignorant we really are. World affairs are extremely complicated and very few people truly understand them. In the past, peasant folk contented themselves in letting others take care of what they didn’t understand. Today, the peasant folk get all agitated by what they don’t understand and end up looking like fools. I happen to have studied politics in depth for years and this is what has led me to the conclusion that the average citizen should calm down and be quiet and do some more research before he speaks. If I were speaking from a position of total ignorance and apathy than you could lump me in with the errant youth of today (and the fact I’m actually 30 years old). But we are Christians first and foremost and then Americans. It isn’t about my country right or wrong. I can love my country and morn it’s bad behavior at the same time. The same way a man can love his wife even when she is committing adultery. She is his, he loves her, but he’s not going to be proud of her and thought it will tear his heart in two, he can leave her if she won’t change. My love for my country is this sort of love. It is too deep for all the triviality the news media puts out and most people talk about. If I knew less and cared less, I would discuss it more and be more upset about it. But having in my youth spent all my useless rage, I am now quiet except to the few who will truly listen and understand. I think at heart, we agree.
Mollie, I think we do agree. And I’m sorry if I came across as lumping you with the apathetic youth, I did realize that you were older.
I should add that I was not refferring to either of you when I mentioned the apathy of a lot of the youth that I know.
Also, rereading my last paragraph, it says a lot more than I intended to say, so just ignore it.
Mollie, I was curious do you think that some news outlets are more reliable, or are they all by and large unreliable?
Amy, I would say that most of our media is unreliable, but one can get some real news. I however don’t know where. Which is partly why I don’t follow it. If one really tried hard, I bet one could find a reliable source.