I recently got hooked on the HBO show, "The Newsroom." I cannot stop watching it. Every time I watch an episode, I get inspired and reminded why I chose to be a journalist. Despite the fact I'm not going into broadcast journalism, the stories are still there. The passion to get the truth out is there. The drive to get the story first is there.
I have such a passion for writing. I love to write. But, I love to tell truth more. I like to know things. I like to be curious. I like to know what is going on around me — and I know I'm not the only one.
People want to be informed. But, there is such a misconception of the media now. People see the media as liars and political puppets. They see bias and lies, not fairness and truth. I want to change that perception. I want people to know that journalists can be trusted. I want people to know the information they are getting is accurate and fair and balanced.
Why? It's because I'm passionate. It's because I care about what I want to do. I have dreams. I have goals. I have drive. I have all of these because I have passion. I have a thirst for truth. I have a desire to change things and I know I can do it. I want to be a journalist because I want to change things. I want to make a difference. I want to tell people's stories. I want people's voices to be heard. I want things to change.
I don't know what kinds of things I'll change, but I know I'll do something. I get an adrenaline rush just thinking about staying up late covering a breaking story or picturing myself in a newsroom in the middle of a crisis. I get excited when I see my name in a byline. I get overjoyed when I see people reading the work of my co-workers and myself. I have pride in what I do and I want others to see it.
I know I can't change people's opinions, but I can try to help them see something differently. I want to tell all sides of a story, even if there is only one. I want to do research. I want to work with people who are as dedicated and passionate as I am. I want to be a journalist. I want to be a muck-raking, dirt-digging, truth-uncovering journalist.
I love what I do and what I'm going to do. I don't think I'll ever stop. It's not about the money. It's not about the fame. It's about telling the truth and getting it out to where people can see it. It's about being credible. It's about having passion.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Big questions and honest answers
What really matters in life? Why bother living if we're just going to die anyway? I just want to be happy.
All of these are things I hear/read/see on, what seems like, a daily basis; and it's got me thinking about the answers to those questions. Now, being a Christian all my life I know the theological answers and I know what the "right" answer to say is, but that doesn't mean I agree with it.
First of all, what really matters in life? Well, lots of things matter. Friends, family, pets, work and school are just a few that come to mind off the top of my head. But, it seems like everybody wants a deeper answer than that. Everybody, myself included, wants bigger answers. I think the question is more than, "What really matters in life?" I think it is more like, "What really matters to me? What matters in my life? What kinds of things are important to me? How do I keep my priorities straight and not get distracted by what 'doesn't' matter?" I think that series of questions is closer to what we mean we simply ask, "What really matters in life?" Honestly, I'm not sure I can answer that question for myself, or anybody else actually. I mean, my family matters to me. My friends matter to me. My fiancé matters to me. My job matters to me. My schoolwork matters to me. My time spent with people I care about matters to me. My roommates matter to me. My health matters to me. I could keep going. But, just because those are some things that matter to me, doesn't mean they necessarily have to matter to you. Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinions and values. Both of those highly influence the way we determine whether something is important to us or not.
Next, why bother living if we're just going to die anyway? Seriously? That is probably the most pessimistic thought, ever. It's up there with, "Well, every second you're alive is just another second closer to death." If you're thinking that way all the time, please see a counselor. You need help. But seriously, what IS the point of living if we're just going to die? Again, I don't know. To me, the point of living is to enjoy every moment that surrounds you with the people who surround you. Living is being with people who make you feel "alive." Being alive is just pure joy and pure happiness, but again, that's my definition. However, it ties in nicely with the next sentence.
"I just want to be happy." Alright, if you "just want to be happy," you need to figure out what's making you so unhappy in the first place. Typically, if you're unhappy, you find ways to do things that make you happy. You play video games, go for a run, write, play an instrument, watch "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," watch YouTube, hang out with friends, the list goes on. You do things that make you happy. If you are so unhappy, then stop doing those things. If someone is in your life and they are constantly bringing you down, I say evaluate the relationship and determine if it is really worth all of the unhappiness the person is causing you. Quite seriously, if you want to be happy so badly that every time I get on Facebook and that's your status or if you're one of those people who like the status every time, I think you need to reevaluate your life and start making some big changes. I want everyone to be happy. I want everyone to enjoy themselves. I want everyone to feel alive.
I think the best way to sum up what I'm trying to say in this advice columnesque blog post is in a Relient K song. The song "College Kids" ends with this montra: "Do what will make you happy. Do what you feel is right. Only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life. Do what will make God happy. Do what you feel is right. Only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life."
Deuces.
All of these are things I hear/read/see on, what seems like, a daily basis; and it's got me thinking about the answers to those questions. Now, being a Christian all my life I know the theological answers and I know what the "right" answer to say is, but that doesn't mean I agree with it.
First of all, what really matters in life? Well, lots of things matter. Friends, family, pets, work and school are just a few that come to mind off the top of my head. But, it seems like everybody wants a deeper answer than that. Everybody, myself included, wants bigger answers. I think the question is more than, "What really matters in life?" I think it is more like, "What really matters to me? What matters in my life? What kinds of things are important to me? How do I keep my priorities straight and not get distracted by what 'doesn't' matter?" I think that series of questions is closer to what we mean we simply ask, "What really matters in life?" Honestly, I'm not sure I can answer that question for myself, or anybody else actually. I mean, my family matters to me. My friends matter to me. My fiancé matters to me. My job matters to me. My schoolwork matters to me. My time spent with people I care about matters to me. My roommates matter to me. My health matters to me. I could keep going. But, just because those are some things that matter to me, doesn't mean they necessarily have to matter to you. Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinions and values. Both of those highly influence the way we determine whether something is important to us or not.
Next, why bother living if we're just going to die anyway? Seriously? That is probably the most pessimistic thought, ever. It's up there with, "Well, every second you're alive is just another second closer to death." If you're thinking that way all the time, please see a counselor. You need help. But seriously, what IS the point of living if we're just going to die? Again, I don't know. To me, the point of living is to enjoy every moment that surrounds you with the people who surround you. Living is being with people who make you feel "alive." Being alive is just pure joy and pure happiness, but again, that's my definition. However, it ties in nicely with the next sentence.
"I just want to be happy." Alright, if you "just want to be happy," you need to figure out what's making you so unhappy in the first place. Typically, if you're unhappy, you find ways to do things that make you happy. You play video games, go for a run, write, play an instrument, watch "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," watch YouTube, hang out with friends, the list goes on. You do things that make you happy. If you are so unhappy, then stop doing those things. If someone is in your life and they are constantly bringing you down, I say evaluate the relationship and determine if it is really worth all of the unhappiness the person is causing you. Quite seriously, if you want to be happy so badly that every time I get on Facebook and that's your status or if you're one of those people who like the status every time, I think you need to reevaluate your life and start making some big changes. I want everyone to be happy. I want everyone to enjoy themselves. I want everyone to feel alive.
I think the best way to sum up what I'm trying to say in this advice columnesque blog post is in a Relient K song. The song "College Kids" ends with this montra: "Do what will make you happy. Do what you feel is right. Only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life. Do what will make God happy. Do what you feel is right. Only but one thing matters, learn how to live your life."
Deuces.
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