Nowadays news and information are at the tip of our fingers.
Everyone can be a news reporter or a private investigator and this is more and more becoming a battle of principles. With technology and social media, news spread even faster and people have become more opinionated.
There is nothing wrong to having access to information, the problem is when you do not respect other people the way you demand respect for yourself. This seems a little rough, right? Especially when you’re sitting on your couch and you feel shocked when a celebrity you can relate to, has been submitted to harsh criticism. But the scenario changes when Muslims, for example, are offended by drawings of their prophet, Muhammad; in this case the western world rushes into your defense using freedom of speech as a means to offend whomever they want. Freedom of speech is a controversy topic but we need to address it.
We started becoming much more critical, we are more willing to go out of our ways to make someone feel bad, if that can bring you more likes and followers. It is a hard truth but one that needs to be said. Values and principles have and will change eventually, but we need to stick with the good ones. And respect is a good one. If we think it is important to show respect to difference, we need to have that same respect within us to share, not only when we differ from the rest, but also when we encounter someone who doesn’t share the same opinions that we do.
If you have ever found some news to be appalling, disturbing or unnecessary, if you have felt what it means to go too far, you understand what we’re talking about. We need to understand that media needs to sell and the human being is naturally drawn to gossip and disaster but human nature cannot be fed those things or we would turn completely on each other. What child doesn’t like chocolate, right? But we cannot feed that child what she likes every day, in every meal, or she would fall sick, right? It is the same thing with our brains, if you feed your brain, suffering and disaster or even gossip, every day, you will eventually see it everywhere and your reasoning would start falling into a distorted sense of self-entitlement. You would basically become addicted to bad news, if it doesn’t touch your values or whatever you hold dear.
Because it is on the news, doesn’t make something true, doesn’t even make it right. On the contrary, sometimes it is very wrong to share certain things about people, right? We are not entitled to information if it serves no purpose. Socrates has taught us that a long time ago: “Is it true, is it kind, is it necessary?” If the information passes these three filters, then it should be shared, for the benefit of another. However, the only filter information has gone through these days is, “will it sell”?
And we buy it, we share it, we give our likes, and hearts, and eventually start consuming all this information without any filters at all. So, when someone you don‘t share the same opinion with gets offended, it is easier to turn the blind eye and just say they are too sensitive, and there is freedom of speech so we can say whatever we want. But God forbid if the Queen of England is depicted in a drawing that goes too far, or if Kim Kardashian is photoshopped in the wrong way, or even if Jesus Christ is ridiculed on a given parade, but it’s ok to offend roughly 2 billion Muslims by making jokes of their prophet. What goes too far is when your freedom interferes with another person’s freedom or you have to offend their belief. It is wrong when freedom of speech is used with the sole purpose to sell.
And don’t get me wrong, there is a time and space for humor and satires, and these are quite necessary. We need to laugh more, but with comedians, with books written for that purpose, with funny movies and comic strips.
News should be something serious, sharing information should serve the people, and not egos or pockets. So, to start battling fake news, offensive jokes or microaggressions, just filter the information that you have; is it loving, is it kind, is it useful?
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