Balancing the Know

I graduated in 2005, and it wasn't until after my graduation that I actually owned a computer. Prior to that, I never had much use for a computer outside of school work and occasionally searching anything related to pro wrestling; When I did need to use a computer, there was either the local library, or the computer lab in school. So when I started college and learned a computer at home would be a good idea, as I would later end up spending many sleepless nights on last minute papers. It's true, I was one of few people in my entire High School who had no idea what Myspace was, what instant messaging was, and definitely had no idea what a blog was; I knew nothing about online communities or chat-rooms, so it's pretty safe to say I was ignorant to anything related to the internet. Being clueless to this virtual society is no longer an issue though. In fact, it's quite to the contrary.

Is it possible to know too much or have access to too much so easily? If so, can an someone experience an overdose of information? There are plenty of articles and studies on people who are addicted to things online, such as cyber-sex, chatting, online gaming, and in some cases, online shopping (i.e. ebay). But what about simply being addicted to information, the need to know what's going on all the time, who's behind the curtain, and who decided to put them there? Is there no greater place for such an addiction than the internet; the internet, like fast food, except substitute the great taste with a false sense of accomplishment.

I blog today because I found myself asking, how do I balance this overwhelming access to knowledge, and even more-so, how do I filter what knowledge affects my opinions and beliefs. I can remember my experience as a wrestling fan before I started reading dirt sheets (sites containing "inside scoops" on what's happening outside the ring) and spoilers online; I can honestly say the experience was much more fun before I gained the knowledge of what was going on behind the scenes. The dirt sheets were just the bite, the forums filled with those who were once fans, but are now "experts" (sarcasm) was the poison. You usually only found these people on forums, where they give their views on wrestling based on the mass amount of knowledge they've gained from dirt sheets. To someone unaware that these people don't really know anything outside of what they've read online, the opinions of these individuals may be taken as fact. And with everything one learns, they can't help but change a little part of themselves to welcome this new found "knowledge". Then the question lingers in your mind one day, if the knowledge you've gain is merely assumptions and opinions, what type of person have you become as a result of the changes you've made to accommodate for all the new information you've learned? Information that you took in as knowledge; knowledge that wasn't necessarily fact to begin with, simply speculation or belief.

The confusion in one's mind or lack of filtering the information they take in is truly a challenge in the current world. With things like forums, blogging, and free press websites like Youtube, free speech has been taken to a whole new level. I won't go into the subject of free speech today, because one can argue whether or not free speech actually exist, or does the dollar determine how loud your voice echoes? Not gonna go into that now though. What I will wrap this blog up with is this, it's very important that everyone learn to balance the amount of information they take in, especially if your a frequent user of the internet, or don't pay attention to current events at all, and simply go by what you heard; if your either of these types of people, you should really consider making a few changes. Do your research, even with people you trust, because while we don't need to know everything, we do need to know what's inaccurate. As I said before, you can't help but change a little with every little bit of information you learn over the course of life, so why not start taking charge of who you want to be, and keep track of what's going in your mind via eyes or ears. This is my conclusion to today's Empty Journal; whether you want to accept it or not, you are what's in your heart and mind, so decide what alters the thoughts in your mind, and the feelings inside in your heart. What you know can be hard to swallow, but what you don't know, you can't define.


Open Your Mind To:

★ Great book I recommend to any conspiracy junkies, or if you just like knowing the truth behind the stats ~ Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

★ Great scene from "Network", a great movie as by the way ~ Howard Beale preaches the truth

★ Real ill hip hop ~ Murs is Better Than the Best