Questions! I Have Questions… aka Fluff!

I am positive everybody does stuff like this in their brain. I mean, how are we supposed to refrain? No, not poetry.

Here's the setup: You are reading or have read several articles, or something you found in a book or magazine. Everything you read makes you reflect and wonder "How would I do this," or "What would I have done," or a zillion other questions that zoom through all those pages in your mind.

So many of the recent articles I've read, from a vast array of sources, have made me pause long enough while reading the story to wonder about what wasn't said in the story, or how it didn't provide an answer that could have helped the authors tie their points together nice and neatly, to form a better conclusion.

My questions usually revolve around the mundane thoughts we routinely perform while reading, without asking why. Some of these thoughts will overpower my brain, holding it hostage until I can come up with enough answers to proffer a token of goodwill for letting me think again.

Everywhere I go and with everything I read, these questions just keep popping up in my head. Am I okay? No wait, are you okay? No wait, I'm okay, but I'm not so sure about you. What am I missing here?

I could continue, but I think you get my point. Writing doesn't always have to be about existentialism. A brief bit of levity helps clear my mind from time to time. It gives me a chance to laugh at myself and hopefully gives someone else a smile or two. 

Lately, with all the dour news on the airwaves and in the papers and magazines, I think we all forget to look for the positives. When we do look at the positives, we limit our thinking ability by not wondering how we could make this "positive" outcome even better.

Every pundit who downplays the significance of these positives, no matter the source or cause of the positive result, is self-serving. They do not present all the facts, opting instead to cherry-pick only the information that deflates the positive outcome.

This goes to the very deepest roots of so-called "fake news." They try to influence us, to separate us from reality through their use of lies, half-truths and innuendo.

When I write, I try hard to maintain my objectivity. I don't want to influence anyone to think like I think. I want to present what I write so that it will force my readers to think beyond what is written. I want them/you to think about the whys and wheres and whens of the article.

My goal is to have you challenge your own beliefs and principles by giving you new information, or a different perspective for you to assess. I don't want to change your thoughts, or control you in any way. What I want is to present you with the truth, regardless of the subject, and then have you form your own opinion and belief.

To me, that is what true journalism is and should be... objectivity. In my process of assessing a known fact or a new concept for fixing a certain problem, I look to my favorite tools, the Ws--Who, what, when, where, and why!

By answering all those questions, I find I am able to dig a bit deeper and dissect a particular point of view, which then helps me to form a more well-rounded opinion.

You and I may have different beliefs, or philosophies, and certainly our ideas will differ from each other. As long as we are both operating off the same truthful information, I believe that's how we overcome our challenges.

Thanks for reading this!

Thanks for reading this!