Turn Off The News – Seek Wisdom Not Knowledge

Turn off the news – Seek Wisdom not knowledge

I see “news”, current affairs and politics as a distraction from our own inner guidance, I simply call it my gut instinct. Being led to conclusions rather than arriving at them in our own time by our own paths.

When I jump onto a “news” story, I sometimes lose myself. I follow the trail of reports, the outrage, the confusion, grief, anger, becoming exhausted, worn out, used, spat out by the media machine. Thankfully this occurs less and less these days as I gradually step back. All news sources have some sort of agenda, they’re not doing us a favour by reporting to us, they are directing our awareness, our emotions, our energy, even the people we like and agree with.

Knowledge comes from learning, wisdom comes from letting go of what we think we know. – Gerar Toye

Gaining Perspective

Lately I am finding liberation in not knowing, not having answers, but this requires me to be vigilant of my own ego, as it always strives to be “right”. Having the answer to anything, believing, knowing, might just be a risky place to be. Belief and knowing require a commitment to an idea. This commitment in itself can be enough to close the door on new information. As soon as the ego senses on a deeper level “I may be wrong here”, the door closes to protect itself from being threatened.

In today’s news there are many theories, sides, disputes are all loaded with other peoples motives, egos and opinions.  Almost all “news” is useless disposable information. After one or two weeks most stories are forgotten about, they’re old news, the world has moved on.

Why not sit back and watch the show? Stepping back from this barrage of information, ignoring it, following my own inner guidance I don’t find easy but I do notice the benefits. Stepping back allows perspective. It creates time and space for alternative information, whether news related or other. Being led by a media directed narrative is not empowering, it is being used and manipulated. To be blunt, we are potentially great beings, our ideas and drive can change the world for better or worse. I resent having my attention and energy toyed with.

No Man’s Land

A few years ago I stepped back from current affairs and began to question my own beliefs that socialism and democracy were the solutions to world problems. I began to wonder if taxing corporations and reining them in via more government departments and regulations just might be part of the problem rather than the solution. I opened my mind, just a crack, to see what alternatives might be out there. What followed was a few months of utter confusion, I no longer knew how to argue, I contradicted myself often, my old views began to fall apart as I realised they were actually dreadfully flawed, and I was driven to seek out new information, new answers, which I found in abundance.

It’s okay to not know, to feel foolish, to be judged as uninformed. It’s okay to not have an opinion or be unsure where we stand on an issue. The path is our own, and surely our own growth, wisdom, guidance is of utmost importance, rather than following others, even those we like and relate to. Being spoon-fed any information does not build character, finding the courage to follow our own gut does, even if we turn out to be “wrong” at least there was a lesson, at least we had the balls and conviction to be true to ourselves.

These are interesting times. Take the time to find your own guidance. Honour your instinct.

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