By his own telling, the President of the United States is an equally effective social media influencer as he is governing the most powerful country on earth.
I’m reminded of a Dallas Willard quote that I’ve been thinking on recently, “reality is what you run into when you’re wrong.” (I’ve been on a recent deep Willard dive)
He also teaches that one’s perception of reality is one of the four core questions humans ask.
-What is reality?
-Who is well off?
-Who is a good person?
-How does one become a good person?
The question of what is real is very central to how we define our lives and how we live.
Also, I agree with following good news outlets but it been hard for me to not fall prey to the “gossip news” of my Apple News app, which I find particularly addicting. The 1440 email newsletter has been helpful to me. I also used to use Ground News but it didn’t really help with the “addictive” challenges.
Your writing on this topic really lit up my mind – thought-provoking for certain. I especially appreciated how you explored the gap between perception and reality, particularly in the context of President Trump. It resonated with me quite a bit. While reading, I was reminded of Seneca and Aurelius (maybe not too heavy a comparison, huh?), but I found myself thinking more about Gracian and his emphasis on the dangers of misinterpreting that nuance between perception and truth – something that feels especially relevant given the current media landscape.
And the way social and news outlets seem to be specifically, if not myopically, reveling in that space between perception and truth! It is exhausting trying to navigate it all.
This all leads me to your mention of "real news" outlets. Honestly, it's something I struggle with. Is it just my own cynicism, or is everything just partisan-driven, a cult of personality, fueled by identity politics now? I'm curious to hear your own thoughts – do you see any exceptions? Or are we both just destined to a constant state of skeptical exhaustion… doomed to fight, flight, or fawn?
Had to put some thought into this before responding. My initial response would just be to list news sources that I think are credible/reliable, which I could still do. But I reflected a little on what makes me feel like the sources I use are in fact reliable, and I think it comes back to that idea of knowing my values and where my values align with the values of specific news outlets. Obviously they all value clicks/$s because they are businesses, but many also strive to align with truth, or freedom, or holding power accountable, etc. So that said, I personally love The Dispatch - not the Columbus Dispatch, just The Dispatch- which clearly states they are a conservative publication and what they are committed to. I also like The Economist because they aren’t American, so even though they have a liberal bias, they have a different perspective than we often read here. And I still like to check out the major newspapers like the NYT or Washington Post. Even though they skew liberal, it’s easy enough to tell what’s subjective and still get the facts.
I LOVE DALLAS WILLARD ❤️ I am here for this! And, I turned off all the news alerts on my phone- it helps a lot with the addicting aspect. I have to seek out the news myself when I want it and when I have time. I couldn’t handle the clickbait of Apple News alerts anymore- it has helped me!
I’m reminded of a Dallas Willard quote that I’ve been thinking on recently, “reality is what you run into when you’re wrong.” (I’ve been on a recent deep Willard dive)
He also teaches that one’s perception of reality is one of the four core questions humans ask.
-What is reality?
-Who is well off?
-Who is a good person?
-How does one become a good person?
The question of what is real is very central to how we define our lives and how we live.
Also, I agree with following good news outlets but it been hard for me to not fall prey to the “gossip news” of my Apple News app, which I find particularly addicting. The 1440 email newsletter has been helpful to me. I also used to use Ground News but it didn’t really help with the “addictive” challenges.
Your writing on this topic really lit up my mind – thought-provoking for certain. I especially appreciated how you explored the gap between perception and reality, particularly in the context of President Trump. It resonated with me quite a bit. While reading, I was reminded of Seneca and Aurelius (maybe not too heavy a comparison, huh?), but I found myself thinking more about Gracian and his emphasis on the dangers of misinterpreting that nuance between perception and truth – something that feels especially relevant given the current media landscape.
And the way social and news outlets seem to be specifically, if not myopically, reveling in that space between perception and truth! It is exhausting trying to navigate it all.
This all leads me to your mention of "real news" outlets. Honestly, it's something I struggle with. Is it just my own cynicism, or is everything just partisan-driven, a cult of personality, fueled by identity politics now? I'm curious to hear your own thoughts – do you see any exceptions? Or are we both just destined to a constant state of skeptical exhaustion… doomed to fight, flight, or fawn?
Had to put some thought into this before responding. My initial response would just be to list news sources that I think are credible/reliable, which I could still do. But I reflected a little on what makes me feel like the sources I use are in fact reliable, and I think it comes back to that idea of knowing my values and where my values align with the values of specific news outlets. Obviously they all value clicks/$s because they are businesses, but many also strive to align with truth, or freedom, or holding power accountable, etc. So that said, I personally love The Dispatch - not the Columbus Dispatch, just The Dispatch- which clearly states they are a conservative publication and what they are committed to. I also like The Economist because they aren’t American, so even though they have a liberal bias, they have a different perspective than we often read here. And I still like to check out the major newspapers like the NYT or Washington Post. Even though they skew liberal, it’s easy enough to tell what’s subjective and still get the facts.
I LOVE DALLAS WILLARD ❤️ I am here for this! And, I turned off all the news alerts on my phone- it helps a lot with the addicting aspect. I have to seek out the news myself when I want it and when I have time. I couldn’t handle the clickbait of Apple News alerts anymore- it has helped me!