Monday, January 7, 2013

Ease of Information

I love the ease of obtaining information on just about any subject immediately. Just type your inquiry into the Google search block and viola, there it is. The problem is that too often it is too much information to sift through. I wind up being confused, which I guess is better than being uninformed. There really are no simple answers. I wonder if maybe we all aren't getting a little lost on this information highway. I am glad that I have filters on that search as it seems almost everything I ask could be misconstrued by the computer. Certain " relationships " between inquiry and data are questionable to say the least.
It is a good thing to maintain a open mind and be open to new ideas or concepts. I do think one does have to make a choice at some point. Take a stand on the issue, as it were. Failure to do so leads to getting nothing done at all, just like Congress. Or worse still, we try to please all of the people all of the time. We all know that can not be done. Yet we still try.
I wonder if the ease of obtaining information is contributing to the present state of indecision. Too much information. When faced with a decision that just had to be made I was told, do something, right or wrong do something. It is far better to have done something and failed than to never have acted at all. There comes a time when you just have to stand up and state your intentions.
Information is a wonderful thing but not when the information inhibits growth. Some things we just have to figure out ourselves. We should establish our own standards and abide by them. Not being inflexible, but being confident in our choices. Also we need to be aware. Do not let information become a distraction. The understanding of information is the key to knowledge. Just reading and gathering information doesn't make us any smarter. 
Google search is a wonderful tool but I find it can be an obsession. I begin to rely on it a little too much. Not all answers can be found there. Then I get distracted from the original task and fail to complete it. With almost every tool the adage is, let the tool do the work. When it comes to this search tool however that adage should not apply. The tool may provide the material, but you still need to do the work. I am guilty of forgetting that on occasion. Reciting the information we obtain on the information highway is not gaining knowledge, it is merely gaining information. I've got a lot of work to do.

No comments:

Post a Comment