A Wish for a More Knowledgeable World, and Self | Sunday Morning Thoughts

I’d like to start by telling you to think about, reach out to, and express your love for the people you cherish in your lives. This really should be done everyday, as you probably know, but when tragedy strikes in our country or in other places in the world, it really heightens our awareness of how precious and fragile life is. Over 2,000 people have died in the recent earthquake in Nepal, and as I peruse my social media feeds, I learn that people I have crossed paths with know individuals or families who reside and/or work in Nepal, and I can’t imagine the fright and worry they went through waiting for news from their acquaintances, friends, and loved ones. Now, I know very little about Nepal, but in the past 24 hours or so I have learned a little about the history of the country and its people – because of the coverage of this tragedy. And I am once again reminded of my naivety and blindness to events and places outside of my little bubble in this great big world.

I didn’t choose this “Sunday Morning Thoughts” segment for my blog by accident – Sundays are usually the days I “catch up” on what’s happening in the world. Of course, I stay connected throughout the week via my Twitter feed and the NYTimes front page, but Sundays I can really just explore what’s been happening in the world. Of course, I do this when I’m not out adventuring – which I will be doing later (pictures to come). So what does this mean?

I try to catch Chuck Todd’s conversations on Meet the Press, and get caught up on the Google Alerts from various sources I receive in my inbox and don’t always have time to go through thoroughly during the week. I try to learn at least 2 or 3 things about a country or event overseas, and sometimes when an event like this horrendous earthquake occurs, that number increases.

Why do I do these things? I feel that I am inundated with so much irrelevant and sometimes senseless information that it feels good to exercise my mind and actually have to think about what people are saying and learn about what they are saying if I am completely clueless. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Buzzfeed puppy article (I acknowledge that Buzzfeed actually does contribute newsy and reliable articles, not just guilty pleasure articles) and a feel-good-story about a family or couple in Maine. But I also need to get out of the lazy habit of reading headlines and trashy comments and things only happening in New England or the United States. It feels good, to have the knowledge to carry on a conversation about something besides “OMG did you see the thing about the Kylie Jenner lip challenge?!?” or “OMG did you see that episode of Grey’s Anatomy?!!?”

So Sundays are my day of learning, so to speak, and I encourage you to spend some time – whether it’s for an hour a day, or a half a day throughout the week – and exercise your mind with information you wouldn’t normally reach out to acquire. Even if you just start that book you’ve been meaning to start for months. Or finally finish that crossword you started. You may be surprised at how refreshing it is.