Monday afternoon the city of Boston was the site of a mysterious bombing attack which claimed three lives and severely injured close to 200 people. The bombs were detonated at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, terrifying and harming hundreds of runners and spectators. The person(s) responsible for the attack are far from being identified, (it sounds like), the design of the bombs has yet to be determined, and a clear motive is nowhere in sight. As it stands now, the tragedy was completely random and anonymous, and while the FBI is launching a fully inclusive investigation to answer all of the questions about the attack that annoyingly lingers over our heads, some people have already declared the “who”, “what”, and “why” of the attack. Of course none of these introduced “theories” are correct; they are but merely conspiracy theories. However, the purpose of this article is not to reiterate the disastrous events of Monday or to report on the supposed theories inaccurately explaining this curious attack, but rather it is to stress the importance of keeping ourselves informed! Nothing grinds my gears more than ignorance and misinformation.
After the events of Monday were broadcasted through every mainstream media outlet, I checked my Facebook feed to see what people were posting about the bombing. As I scrolled down, the the general consensus was, “thoughts and prayers to Boston,” then I come across a status posted by a friend of mine that lives in Montana. The post basically said that the best thing “we” can do is to turn off the T.V. and not allow ourselves to be broadcasted to by the mainstream media, that we should exist in a state of love, and that the media will only spark fear in us. So, we should focus on what brings us joy. Maybe this friend has dropped too much acid in recent months, because that all sounds like delusional hippie propaganda, or maybe this friend is an excellent example of how ignorance is bliss. Either way, I do not agree that in times of turmoil we should avert our attention away from the sources of information. I believe it is of utmost importance to your personal thoughts, and ultimately your civic participation, to keep yourself informed and updated.
Informing and educating oneself are the greatest tools one can have in a world of information overload. Conspiracy theories can be intriguing sometimes, but most have little to no credibility. Yet, they are widely believed, and even some are mainstreamed. It is so imperative that we interpret messages we receive from the media with an unbiased screen and inform ourselves of what’s going on in the world. That way we can act as intricate members of society and form our own opinions about events that are influenced by credible sources. Living in delusion, like my friend from Montana, is not conducive to civil and societal participation. Watch the local news for 20 minutes in the morning or evening, or read a section in a newspaper, or read articles of interest on social media sites and the internet, maybe even follow a blog! Just make sure you always check the facts, even the major news networks report incorrect information. But only you can interpret messages in a way that’s beneficial to you and your thoughts and beliefs. It is your responsibility, as an information consumer, to filter credible and logical information in and bogus stuff out. I know having control over your own thoughts and opinions sounds like something only the Jedi can achieve, but I’m quite certain, you can achieve it too.
