Change is constant. This isn’t news. Neither is the fact that most of us resist change at some point, even when we know it will be good for us.
We struggle against change because it’s uncomfortable. We have to leave our established patterns and notions behind to embrace something new. That’s scary. But it can also be exhilarating.
When we make a change — personal, professional, ideological — we don’t know for sure if the outcome will be good or bad. Of course, we hope it will be good. But even if it isn’t, it’s something new. It changes our direction and our mindset. The initial change we make may not be life-altering. It might even be awful for a while. But, in the end, it can take us somewhere completely different. Somewhere we never would have gone if we hadn’t made a change.
And even making the smallest change is more powerful than just standing still.
Whenever I travel, it gives me a fresh perspective not only on the place I’m visiting, but on my life and the world at large.
My recent trip to Washington, DC, was particularly eye-opening, and I found myself drawn to sites that centered on news and the media.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, so I am already well-informed on the media’s influence. But at the excellent Newseum, I was struck by the fact that although the mediums through which we receive news have changed dramatically, the impact of the news media has been an acknowledged force in decision-making – for better or worse – since before our country was founded.
This was reinforced by a new exhibit at the National Gallery of Art that focused largely on Andy Warhol’s art based on newspaper and tabloid headlines. The many ways he re-imagined these printed pieces, which were an obsession for him, underscored how each of us interprets what we read.
No question, the media has the power to influence what we think. But, as my parents taught me, “Don’t believe everything you read.” Check your sources. Be a little skeptical and dig deeper. And then decide what’s true.
More than ever, I’ll revere the journalists who are committed to solid, factual reporting. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe.”
