A Return to Slow Food

I read yesterday's Wall Street Journal and wondered who I knew that received a regular paper delivery. We cancelled our subscription many years ago declaring it a waste of money because we didn't read it regularly. Today while reading The Age of American Unreason authored by Susan Jacoby, I noted my time constraints are symptomatic of a greater pandemic. Ms. Jacoby reports:

'In Everything Bad is Good for You, technophile Steven Johnson argues that yes, we're spending less time reading literary fiction, but that's because we're spending less time doing everything we used to do before...because a dozen new activities have become bona fide mainstream pursuits in the past ten years: the Web, e-mail, games, DVDs, cable-on-demand, text chat. We're reading less because there are only so many hours in the day...If reading were the only cultural pursuit to show declining numbers, there might be cause for alarm...As long as reading books remains part of our cultural diet, as long as the new popular forms continue to offer their own cognitive rewards, we're not likely to descend into a culture of mental atrophy anytime soon.'

Beyond our dwindling free time, this quote pointed to a greater concern: what mediums we choose for our intellectual stimulation. Mr. Johnson’s use of “mental atrophy” implies that it makes no difference what our minds feed on, so long as it continues to be stimulated. Using that logic I could argue that McDonald’s Value Meals fulfill my caloric intake requirements, so I’m not likely to experience any type of health deterioration anytime soon. While I’m no Luddite, I stand firmly in the belief that fast food in the way of intellectual stimulation will leave our minds simultaneously flabby and emaciated.

Married Woman ISOA (In search of answers)

My mother used to say I was a “jack-of-all-trades and master of none” owing I’m sure to the breadth of my experience rather than the depth. Let’s see I’ve been a farmhand, an insurance adjuster, a banker, an accountant; I have a pre-law college degree, half of a Masters degree in psychological counseling and a whole Masters degree in Business Administration. To me this reads “flighty,” and quite honestly I’m bothered by it. I admire those who have either wittingly or unwittingly found their niche and achieved success. I wish I could change things for myself, but my biggest hurdle is the staying put factor. There aren’t enough hours in a day to quench the curiosity coursing through my veins. There may be an upside to this, but I’m painfully aware of the downside—a large dose of impatience. The challenge is to strike a balance.

For example, when I wanted to make an informed decision during the past presidential election, I read books on health care reform, poverty, terrorism, the global economy. As the election approached I switched to newspapers and magazines. I spoke with many, many people about their views on the candidates and asked them where they were getting their information. As you can imagine there was a whole spectrum of responses, including those I mentioned and also television and talk radio.

It is very time-consuming to stay informed—how do YOU do it? Are there resources that you use regularly—websites, magazines, newspapers? Or, do you have friends or colleagues who you can count on for some quality discourse?

Yes, I’m curious!

Clear as mud

I haven't told that many people that I am blogging, consequently, my feedback is limited. For now, that's intentional. This is a work in process and not something I'm inviting a lot of people to watch unfold. Feedback so far has been, well, let's say "surprising". This morning my friend told me my writing was "wordy" as in too wordy, and too much like a personal journal to gain any followers. True, many of the blogs I have read are exactly that: a personal journal where the authors are simply trying to keep in touch with the very same people who are probably deemed "friends" on Facebook. Rest assured, I'm not trying to impress my own thoughts on other people.

A couple of others said my writing was obtuse (my word--I have nicer friends.) I didn't know I had it in me to be "difficult to comprehend." However, I think what I haven't made clear is that this blog, at this stage, is simply me learning the blog environment and asking you to experiment with me. You see those leaves up there? I had to change html code to make those appear in the title. The color scheme--that too required customizing. Just sitting down each day to write requires discipline. I'm trying to get a grasp on all these structural/administrative type aspects of blogging while I also develop this blog into what I hope it will become--a site where I don't write. Do I hear a sigh of relief?

I humbly acknowledge what I’ve been writing is me philosophizing on paper. My vision for the blog is beginning to grow roots. Bear with me and pray it takes on a life of its own.