Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

"I think, therefore I am." —Rene Descartes

THE one thing that differentiates a life of deprivation from a rich one is the availability of choice. And making wise choices from the array made available to us, is not always obvious or easy.

Awash with a steady stream of choices on radio, television, cable, satellite and the ubiquitous ipod, we have morphed into a society with choices served on a platter. And yet given the almost infinite variety from which we can cull out entertainment and some of the information we may need to figure out how best to live our lives during these interesting times we live in, paradoxically, all these sources are still strangely inadequate.

The messages may not always be in our own best interest. Mass media has evolved into a sophisticated selling tool that has to constantly balance that delicate mix of serving the public interest and serving the interests of business and industry that ensure its continued existence. Lately though, the balance has been skewed in favor of business. To a significant extent, big businesses do have some say as to what, why and how frequently messages get aired.

What can we do to avoid becoming a mindless sponge that sops up what the boob tube has to offer? In a word, FILTER. We must develop a filtering mechanism, much like an industrial strength sieve in our thinking cap to be able to discern only what is important to us and trash the major bulk of messages that assail us 24/7. The truths and the values, as they apply to us, must be ferreted out the old fashioned way through spadework (which, thanks to the wonders of communications technology, can be done by a few keystrokes on the internet) and the low tech way of simply asking around. Nothing, however, can take the place of gruelling personal experience that builds a personalized knowledge base. Read up on your own. Read books, both the paper kind and the electronic versions. But be selective. Life is always an adventure wherever you choose to live. But you ratchet up the color and excitement several notches higher the moment you choose to immigrate to another land. Like it or not, you have signed yourself up to learn and adapt and evolve every single day you are alive.