Originally Posted by Giftodd
Hi Islandofapples,

This is a topic a love, so can go on forever about it - I tried not to... but I couldn't help it... Please don't feel obliged to read it all...

I am certainly not naive enough to think that democracy can ever really be fully functional, but but because something isn't 100% achievable doesn't make it not a worthwhile goal (for example we don't stop trying to improve the health of the community - or even an individual - even though we can never have everyone 100% healthy).

I agree with this. I am definitely an idealist. We try to be (live and eat) "green" and I have a website based on teaching others how to "be green." Sometimes it feels like everything I try to do is pointless. I can't protect my child from all these chemicals because they are everywhere. I can't even eat really healthy all the time, but DH and I both agree that we still need to try.

Originally Posted by Giftodd
I agree that realistically people's lives get in the way of participating in society in an informed way. Before I had my daughter I read 4 newspapers a day. I was so excited to go on maternity leave because I figured I'd just spend my days bouncing my baby on my knee while I caught up on world events. The reality was I barely picked up a newspaper for 3 years! But it's an easy habit to get out of, which makes a strong media and school system all the more important - because if you're not looking for information it's all the more important that the information you do stumble across is impartial and accurate.
This bothered me a little because it reminded me of how I used to be. I kept up with all the current events and I was reading so many books on the Middle East, China, globalization, etc. I always read the news every day. Then, I started to realize I was feeling cynical, depressed, and stressed out. I'd call it existential depression. I don't know if other people get like this just from watching the news. I seem to be really affected by this stuff.

(This makes me sound loony, but DH and I watched a whole bunch of CSI one time and I cried that night a lot because I couldn't handle that people really did those kinds of things to other people. I just watched all of 24 with him with no issue, so I don't know why it affected me so much.)

I was reading Eckhart Tolle at one point (spiritual guy, very Eastern spirituality type of stuff) and he said we are all fascinated with negative news, violence and imagery... We go to the movies and pay to see it, even. He said it satisfied our "pain body" as he called it. I think that is around when I decided to take a break from all the news and choose it very selectively.

I feel guilty that I've stuck my head in the sand in some ways, but I feel so much happier now. I choose what things I want to work on (like keeping chemicals out of my home, buying organic, not using pesticides on our lawn, etc.) Those are the things I feel like I can actually have some control over.

Maybe other people feel overwhelmed by it all, too? I haven't seen evidence that this is actually the case, but I guess it might be possible. We certainly are bombarded with more negative news stories, pictures and videos than we ever have been in all of human history. It makes you feel like the human race might be hopeless, yet for every one negative story, there are 100 positive ones that go untold.

I agree with the rest of what you said about education, but I don't really know if what you said here:
"In my view unless education increases in perceived value for it's own sake, not much will change."
can happen with the way our economic system is right now. I feel like a lot of people only view an education as something you purchase so you can make more money later...