Modern Miracle Meltdown

My computer had a heart attack and I haven't been able to take it to the hospital yet, so we'll see if it survives. This poses a problem and an explanation for the recent lack of posts. Sorry! I say that more to me than you, but it's okay, we can share, there is definitely enough sorry to go around for the few who even know this blog exists. I'll keep you updated on his condition and let's all pray he get's well soon!!!

Continuation of Last Post

I would like to pick up where I left off and complete that thought. That might happen a lot here, so be prepared. In my last post I talked about the overwhelming amount of information available in a bookstore or a library, I didn't even mention the internet, which is information overload on steroids.

What do we do with all of this information? We can't possible take it all in. I don't care what you aunt told you about humans only using 10% of their brains, we simply aren't equipped to handle the mass amounts of information available to us. In one of my classes a teacher of mine said that the average person today learns more in a day than the person a hundred years ago learned in a month and in some cases a year. I have no sources to back up that claim, besides the fact that one of my professors at a accredited four year university said it, but I can see how it would be true.

We have to filter. It's a defense mechanism. We do it with our five senses everyday, throwing away information taken in visually and through sound and touch and smell and taste. Cool side note: Have you ever not been paying attention to what someone was saying, only to have them pause, expecting a response? What usually happens? For most people you can actually stop and think and pull back that information and look at it and then respond. That is pretty amazing when you think about it. Your brain filtered that information as unimportant (because you thought the wall behind your friends head was more important than what they were saying or whatever your excuse is) but you are actually capable of going back a short distance into all that information and taking a second look, to see if your first categorization of that information was correct and to reassign it if appropriately. End side note.

The kind of information overload and filtering I'm talking about here though is a lot more conscious. We choose at a much more aware level what we deem as valuable information and what we just take out with the day's trash. With this in mind, consider what criteria YOU use to decide if something is important or not. What are your filters? How do you decide if information is valuable or not?

TO BE CONTINUED!!!!


 

Lost in the library

Today I had a bit of a nostalgic moment as I perused the aisles of the bookstore on campus. It reminded me of my days working at the library at my old school. I used to wander the aisles and just stare in amazement at all of the titles of all of the books that so many people had written, each with, probably, at least one valuable thing to say. Just the mass of information available nowadays is overwhelming. I always, and I mean ALWAYS, as in no exceptions, bite off more than I can chew when I am checking out books from the library. The other day I went in to find some books on poetry for a class I'm taking and I came out with at least eight, one of which was a huge anthology that weighs about as much as a toddler. I think it's the same problem kids have when serving up their plates for dinner, my eyes are bigger than my stomach, or my time and desire to read and absorb all of that information and sift through for the valuable. Do you feel that though? It's almost like greed, the want to understand everything and soak it all up, fill yourself up on words and ideas that fill you and expand your thinking at the same time. Books are the best. I think that's the underlying point.

Creative Non-Fiction 362!

So, this is a New Year's Resolution, but I'm starting a little late. Three days, to be exact, which explains the number in the title in case you were wondering. This year I want to write something on here everyday, yep, every single day. That means there might be a lot of short entries and a lot of not very good ones. So I beg your pardon in advance, read on forewarned! It might make for some really creative ones as well, considering I get bored doing the same thing too much, just like your average joe. The style I will write in by default is going to be creative non-fiction. That seems to be a pretty good baseline for me. I'm not going to limit it to that but most of my entries will be that, at least when I'm not feeling the need for change. Technically, this is creative non-fiction, and I'm really tired, so I hope this counts for tonight and I'll see you with something hopefully a little more exciting in the morning!!! Ciao ciao ciao!!!