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Good laughs and a lot to think about in Aziz Ansari’s SNL monologue.
Watch Aziz Ansari’s fantastic SNL opening monologue
2017 Media Diet
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More Substance, Less Junk
Each day we set ourselves in front of a massive all-you-can-eat media buffet. We’re conditioned to take more than we need, quickly gulp down what is tantalizing and easy to digest and toss out the rest.
Now more than ever I feel the need to be better nourished. As part of my 2017 wellness plan, I am going on a media diet. This doesn’t mean that I am going off news completely, but going forward I’ll be saying goodbye to misleading headlines, crap journalism, fake news and 24-hour drama-driven reporting.
It’s time to reclaim my brain by focusing on news and information that matters. This includes:
- Setting aside quality time to digest the news (for me that includes not reading the news first thing in the morning. I can’t start my day off that way)
- Supporting real new sources (ones that have true journalists, a code of ethics and use fact checkers)
- Focusing on the topics I am most passionate about, as I can’t absorb everything
- Snacking less frequently on information-poor sources
If you want to join in my media diet, please bookmark this site. I’ll be posting information I find helpful in this endeavor.
Moving forward with a positive attitude
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Where do we go from here?
For many of us, the world seems a bit off-kilter right now. In times like these, it is tempting to retreat, to shut ourselves off from the chaos. But this is a reaction, not a solution. For my own peace of mind, I’m trying to focus on what I can do to move forward with a positive attitude.
As part of this process, I’ve written down my key goals for 2017. I’ll be updating it and providing more detail over time. I am sharing this not only keep myself on track but also to help others who are looking for suggestions on how to move onward and upward.
Going forward:
Above all, don’t give in to the dark side. There are so many forces that seek to divide our society, but we need to stay strong and:
- Treat each other with dignity and respect
- Assume positive intent among others
- Acknowledge that we all have our biases and we need to work together to recognize and address them
Speak up/act when you or others are not treated with dignity and respect
- Every day we see prominent people displaying childish, bullying and hypocritical behavior. This is not OK, and we need to make sure that this behavior doesn’t ever become acceptable
- We may not be able to directly impact the most prominent perpetrators, but we can make a difference on a local level. We need to speak up when we see such behavior
Put your money where your mouth is
- Donate to organizations that support causes close to your heart. It’s one of the quickest ways to make a difference
Work to stay informed and help others become better informed
- This means actively seeking out news and information from a variety of trusted sources and verifying its veracity before sharing
Spend more time connecting in person
- Limit time on social media—it isn’t a very healthy environment for dialog, especially right now
- Expand your horizons and talk to people who may not share your POV
- Spend more time listening, less time judging
- Healthy discussions need to start from a common factual ground. If that can’t be established, spend your energy elsewhere
And most importantly, maintain your balance
- Don’t burn yourself out. Make time to do what brings you joy. Socialize, meditate, get out in nature, curl up with a good book, exercise, take a long bath, eat well, dance and sing with all your heart
I hope you will look forward with me.