My future of journalism article was published on OJR!! I basically talked about the future of journalism, and what future generations may experience as traditional journalism begins to decline. I have to say, I am so proud to be a generation xer, simply because I grew up with a DEEP appreciation of journalists and their culture. I'm not sure that my nieces will have the same experience.

Read the Future of Journalism Article.

In the 19th and 20th centuries,  societies were shaped by philosophers and the beaujouis class. In 2010, the technologists and the "public" have taken reign - or so it seems.

During the earlier days of the internet, experts cited the 1% rule which proposes that more people will "lurk" in a virtual community than actually participate. Specifically, the theory states that "1% of people create content, 9% edit or modify that content, and 90% view the content without contributing." The theory, however, fails to include the number of people that  cannot access virtual spheres because of age, poverty, technophobia, etc. What begins to emerge is a clear, shocking picture of a reality that is hidden by first world assumptions: Everyone is on the net and everyone is equally represented. In fact, the internet is still just as elitis as the real world.

What is Pronia?
Society has a clear message for you: You are in danger, you are worthless, and you will never amount to anything. Sounds like something someone mentally unhealhty would say, yet we embrace this energetic filth and indoctrinate our souls to be believe it whole heartedly.

We are quick to assume the worst in ourselves and in each other, regardless of the positive experiences of solidarity and compassion we have had

along the wayIs it surprising that so many of us have problems with anxiety, depression and self esteem? How could you possibly be comfortable with yourself or others, if we are constantly reminded to hate and fear.

I have another option for you. Tell society and its paranoid programming to go fuck itself. There is a different path you can take. Opt, instead to embrace pronia - the idea that, in fact, the universe and your fellow humans, love you and want you to do well, and most importantly, accomplish your soul's mission. This is a much better narrative to take part in - and just as real -  than the one offered to you by the the mainstream communication channels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like most Generation X ers, I probably enjoyed my youth a bit too much. We were the generation of raves - spiritual parties that were organic, uncommericalized, and cultivated community and comradeship. Most importantly, they were fun and provided a brief moment in time to liberate ourselves from the confines of society.

Many Gen Xers can recall more than one night of being covered in absurd amounts of glitter and sweat, watching the sun rise in some field or deserted location, with a group of close friends. The feeling of love and connection with the universe that would overcome us is indescribable. We felt like a tribe and everything highlighted our desire to become a collective, collaborative, primitive whole - or rather - one single, enlightened, pulsating organism of diversity.

The music was tribal. The outfits were tribal. And we acted tribal.

Sometimes music takes you back to a special moment in time when you were so aligned with the world, that everything made complete sense. Maybe it lasted 5 minutes, maybe 10, but not much longer.

Time almost always slows down and you find yourself in perfect communion with everything around you. (Pablo Coehlo calls it the magical moment). You are so literally present, that you can hear and talk to the universe, and fully understand your role in this chaotic world. Those moments generally come as a surprise, and trigger so much intense passion and emotion that there is no denying that it is a direct message to you