June 25, 2009
SO WHAT?

Micheal Jackson died. And do you know how much that matters to me? Go ahead, you get three guesses and the first two don’t count. That’s right. Not at all.

I suppose one could label me callous, but I just spent the last four hours doing some research into new media business models and ways to perform the traditional business of newspapers online. Do you know what’s mind-boggling? The number of different sites offering re-purposed news on national stories, often times accompanied with pointless editorials about why this should really matter to me.

Those I’ve talked to recently will no doubt have noticed a slight shift in my world outlook. After reading “Look Homeward, America,” by Bill Kauffman, I’ve found myself a bit tired of the “news cycle,” and the amped up national or international news that we’re supposed to give a shit about. Hell, even the state news can get really irritating sometimes.

How am I supposed to feel about the Israel-Palestine issue? I don’t know, but I can tell you one thing, it doesn’t actually matter. Unless I have a pony in the race, which I don’t, it really does not matter. Paul Anka had some wonderful advice in a Halloween episode of the Simpsons, “Just don’t look.” In that episode, giant advertisements come to life and start destroying Springfield. Turns out if you ignore them they just go away.

Now, that’s not a cry for people to give up on international peace, or trying to find a solution to the battle for the Christian/Jewish/Muslim holy land. No, it’s an argument that for the vast majority of people, focusing on family and community issues would likely be more than fullfilling. Few of us need concern ourselves with missile defense against the current Russian Federation. Yes, that’s an isolationist philosophy. But it is also a distinctly human philosophy. Stay local, stay involved, stay active and you will lead a happy life. If you play your cards really well you may even make other people in your family and community happy. Now, if everyone would do that, we wouldn’t really need a holy land.

So here’s me. I’m going to start with “the man in the mirror.” Now I’m going to go to sleep, wake up tomorrow and work on increasing the availability of local produce in my town and find new ways to disseminate local information. Because when the H bombs drop, the only thing that is going to matter is whether you were happy before you died.

❦