Perspectives: Political or ...?

I find myself getting caught up in the turmoil of our society and I purposely step back.

I freely admit some of the discourse makes me uncomfortable. I embrace that for I am a firm believer growth begins outside of wherever the current boundaries of my comfort zone exist.

Growth is exciting and frightening at the same time. It is a tricky proposition that can be complicated by who influences your growth as much and sometimes more so than the actual area of knowledge being expanded. This is where my current level of consternation has me concerned enough to step back.

It is obvious, to me, this country has lost its free press as our founding fathers knew it to be. Long gone are the independent news sources. To think our news was never presented in an editorial form would be the height of naïveté. Each local news organization presented information in the context of local social values and there was therefore a myriad of perspectives available for consumption. As our news sources have become increasingly corporatized the presentation of news has also become much narrower in scope.

I first began noticing this when perusing the Internet sites of foreign based news organizations in an attempt to track movements of U.S. Navy vessels abroad. Many foreign papers report which boats and ships enter local ports. Sometimes when a relative was restricted by orders or protocol from letting us know where they were, the foreign papers were able to do so - a benefit of a free global press.

This is when I began to realize the news we receive is censored. In this case purportedly for national security and the safety of our service personnel. These reasons are prudent and accepted without question due to making sense and a certain level of trust that existed in our armed forces leadership and the press itself.

Now, two plus decades later any trust I had in the press, in the media, has evaporated.  I’ve watched our local media outlets be bought out by and sold to ever larger corporate entities. Our once decidedly conservative newspaper has become increasingly liberal and at times radically so. I do view it ads a propaganda rag at this point in time - the same view I have of every widely available news source in this country today.

We no longer have a free press.

I do not ascribe to President Trump’s proclamations the mainstream media presents “fake” news. My take is the mainstream media presents news in a manner to fit whatever their ownership’s narrative is.  Conservative and liberal outlets alike are catering to their clientele and seeking to influence whatever independents remain. In doing so they are collectively obscuring the truth from public consumption. In short, interpretations of events are being relegated to two distinctly separate and decidedly different narratives leaving much of the public not knowing who to believe ... and so they tune out almost all news which is an extremely dangerous thing for a country that has seen a free press to be fundamental to check and balance government.

Who to believe?

We all local for guidance in interpreting life. The radicalization of the media has made this a dicey undertaking that some embrace fervently as others decidedly eschew the same. The promotion of division within our society.

I myself get caught up in this subtle but significant tidal wave fueled by emotional response. At least until I remember to step back and refocus on who can be trusted in this crazy world.

I have found one single solitary source I can trust in interpreting what is going on in this world. Before I share this information with you I think it important to call your attention back to the current status of our free press; almost all news presented to us is done so through polticalized lens. We receive news with a decidedly conservative or liberal lean in presentation. The key is to remove politics from the equation and replace them with something pure in nature and substance.

God and His Word presented in the Holy Bible.

Well, that’s my filter for the news anyway. I also view the news through the Native American heritage of past family generations. You might avail yourself of religious documents and teachings of Judaism, Islam, Buddha, et. al. and any positive religion focusing on Love and the Golden Rule is perfectly acceptable for these purposes.

We become so focused on negatives, the evil present in news reported, we fail to look for a God’s presence in the event, in the world. It is His world after all and we are just passing through it. When we approach life in this manner and are vocal, visible advocates for what is Godly things begin to change for the better. Our perspective, or motivations, our lives and those around us.

I am not suggesting we eliminate consumption of news altogether. No, what I am urging is to filter all news through the perspective of God instead of the perspective of politics.  Politics are divisive. God is inclusive. Which do you desire? Which will you advocate for and promote?