What would it look like, if I knew I did not want to engage in a struggle but I did want to engage with what I could learn thanks to it? And I would do so fully and share it with many, and wish to hear their wisdom, and spread responsible participation, and seek to create a smarter reality, sober from stories and opinions. How would I react then to a police officer who acts violently? Or to a COVID protester who violates safety instructions? Would I fight him or ask him if this is how he would like his son, daughter, parent or wife, to be treated? What if we knew we were one, literally one body, and when one hurts another, he hurts himself? Maybe if we would ask these questions and allow doubt and humility, we would get closer, inquire with and through the other and act out of the kind of caring and responsibility that may evolve only from love? How would we live, if we knew that not everything that is suspicious in our eyes is meant to deceive us in order to control us? What would happen if we knew that not everything presented as being done for our benefit actually came to serve us? What would we see if we knew that our joy, happiness and creativity are not harmed in any way, even when we are limited by someone else? The lens is clear and the mind is awake and sharp.įor example, what would we see and which possibilities would open up to us if we recognize that restrictions on free-movement do not always endanger us, and do not impair our happiness? So, when we do not turn again to what is out of date, we are free to see and recognize ‘the new’ – the time that has come. If I pause for a moment and listen to what is asked, I will see not only what is happening now, but also what is no longer relevant and doesn’t serve anything, in fact, it turns out to be a path which leads to a dead end. This creates situations where everyone struggles, more and more, and ends up exhausted with disappointing or temporary results, until the situation is reversed again. Then, all players remain in place, actions take their toll and create friction, pushing each side to the extreme. By doing so, it gives validity to those who struggle and to the press itself because if there are “good people” and “bad people”, someone has to defend the “good people”. It sees those who are in power as a threat and brings up this perspective at every opportunity. This kind of press forms an alliance with this population, because when there’s a threat, there’s a natural cohesion, and the press is the catalyst.īecause the watchdog of democracy is the watchdog of the people who perceive themselves as weak and vulnerable, the watchdog assumes that leaders are corrupt and hungry for power and will not shy away from manipulation, deception and exploitation to maintain their rule. This kind of press creates an identification with those who are in danger (the population), and the greater the danger is, the greater the identification. The building blocks of the press, which sees itself as the watchdog of democracy, are intimidation, power and separation. The watchdog of democracy will be responsive, look for that which is broken and missing. This silence reminds us of what really is.Īfter reading the article from the eyes of New Journalism Project – Ask to be touched, ask to be shaken to the core and hear the silence that can be heard between the words. Responsible participation is not to shut myself off but to truly experience. Where it can no longer exist or when we don’t obey it blindly – there exists the kind of knowledge which is life giving. The mind that is run by fear – interpreting, analyzing, preventing, solving, leads to a survival mode. And a responsible participant will cast doubt on old premises and thoughts, and will ask – what would life be like without them? The role of the media and the leaders is to create an environment that brings THIS to light.Īs a responsible participant I will listen to what is required in order to serve the higher good of all and of everything.īut what does “what is required” mean when there is no frame of reference? How does one know how to go about it when there are no agreed upon assumptions? Because a ‘frame of reference’ is a premise, a thought. Wisdom, possibility, and creativity exist in everyone. The new press seeks to act as a responsible participant in what the times require, and a creator of many other responsible participants. The role of the press in the old days was to be the watchdog of democracy – to make sure a different voice is being heard.
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