I see so many people repeat what they’ve seen on TV like it’s fact, that it got me wondering if we are losing our ability to think independently or really even think for ourselves at all?

Case in point, a friend that I know works in the financial industry.  He told me exactly how he perceived what caused “The Great Recession” and I agreed with his logic.  Now just a month ago, he’s telling me and entirely different story because he was a documentary on it.  Well, a documentary versus living through it with connections to what was happening… hmmm.

Here is a man, that actually was part of the financial system, saw and heard what was going on, but since seeing the documentary, changed his tune and blamed it all on the banks.  It really was more than that banks…

Oh sure, there were some unscrupulous lenders, but if you think that they were all like that you are sadly mistaken.  I think that it was mainly the construction of the complex derivatives that caused the problems and made it so the rating companies didn’t have a clue (nor did the companies peddling the stuff), but I digress…

The thing that kills me is my buddy, who was much closer to the financial downturn I ever was, basically forgot what he lived through and instead change his entire mindset based on a documentary!  Like those documentary creators were unbiased and were in the middle of what was going on more-so than he was…

It reminds me of the “Jedi mind trick” from Star Wars.  “Believe what you watch, you will” says Yoda…

The thing is we’ve all been influence by what we watch on TV.  I know that after watching certain movies I get pumped and want to work out.  I’ve even acted out a few dangerous scenes when I was younger with friends (ah, those teenage years).  Now that I’m older I realize how incredible stupid that was of me to do.

I wonder how much of our life is misguided by fantasies and make believe magic that we watch on TV and the movies than reality.  Most of us look up to actors, not really innovators in our country that improve our lifestyle.

The real question is how do those of us in the middle get back on a productive and reality based track again (if we were ever on that track to begin with)?

Perhaps less TV and less online time is the answer?  Perhaps trying to think outside of the box a bit (or a lot) more?

Hard to tell, I’m still experimenting myself…

MR