Call me old-fashioned. Call me an idealist. Call what you will, as Bob Seger put it. But I’m genuinely worried about a sad situation that I know has been going on for quite some time. It’s the absolute lack for culture that has gripped the average Joe on the street. Everyone is so obsessed with getting ahead further faster that nobody is taking the time to widen their general knowledge. It’s the demise of the general from the necessary.

And no, despite my first post, I know it’s not something confined to the USA. It’s worldwide, with exceptions I know exist but don’t know which they are. Allow me to illustrate: if you’re under 20, do you know who Bob Seger is? How about where Rwanda is? Who invented the telephone? Or the radio? What does “Pope” mean? Where would I go to find a platypus? Who was Siddharta?

 

I know, I know, it’s not the end of the world. It’s not like this is the kind of info that is going to get you millions (unless, of course, you’re on Who Wants to be a Mult-millionaire). Or going to land you a better job. But won’t it make you a better human being? Nah, that’s not it either. I’ve known people who barely know how to read or write and are nearly saints. But it’s my belief that people who have better information become better leaders. Information is power, you know.

 

There is information by the trillions out there thanks to the Internet. And what are we using it for? Porn. And news are a distant second. I’m not going to sit here and tell you what to watch or not –that’s your choice– but that’s like having a Cadillac Escalade and using it to go to the corner and back. Watch your porno, but go to an encyclopedia, too. It’s not enough to have the money to run a company; it’s also a matter of knowing the world around it. Peace out.

 

ANSWERS: 1.- Bob Seger was a rocker in the ’80s, a la Bruce Springsteen (and I know you know who HE is!). 2.- Rwanda is a country in western Africa. Remember? Hotel Rwanda? The movie? 3.- Alexander Graham Bell. 4.- Guglielmo Marconi (although it’s being disputed). 5.- It comes from the Greek pappas, which means “father”. The Church gives a traditional meaning as an acronym for “He who follws the steps of Peter” (or something like that). 5.- Australia. 6.- An Indian prophet who was later called Buddha.

 

Thanks for peeking into my Mind…