Have you ever noticed that no matter how bad the news, how horrible the murder,or how devastating the natural disaster, it all vanishes in an instant when the news anchor says, "Now this..." and off we go to a commercial? Have our attention spans become so diminished that bad news, horrible news, even evil news can be quickly washed from our minds by a soap commercial?
The late Neil Postman argued that with the advent of television, Americans no longer talk to each other; they entertain each other. The evening news is not a time to ponder world events; it is a stage that precedes "Now this..." As Robert MacNeil (The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour) has quipped of television news aims:
"You are required...to pay attention to no concept, no character, and no problem for more than a few seconds at a time...Complexity must be avoided, nuances are dispensable..."
Maybe that is why it is so difficult to get people to take seriously that one billion people on this planet live at the brink of starvation. As soon as we begin to contemplate, someone says "Now this..."
Thursday, May 7th, is the National Day of Prayer; gathering at City Hall from 12:10-12:50 p.m., all are invited.
Next Sunday, May 10, at 4:00 p.m. the Southwest Florida Symphony Children's Chorus will be at Faith. They are performing "Fairy Tales and Pixie Dust", which will include Magical Kingdom by John Rutter and a Rodgers and Hammerstein medley. Tickets are on sale now at the church office for $12 and will be $18 at the door.