"Now with a reaction" - how about proaction?

On the first day of my Interpersonal Communication class, we learned the Shannon-Weaver pattern of communication:

Sender --> ~Noise~ Channel --> ~Noise~ Message --> ~Noise~ Receiver --> ~Noise~ Feedback --> ~Noise~ Sender --> ~Noise~ Channel --> ~Noise~ Message --> ~Noise~ Receiver --> ~Noise~ Feedback --> into infinity (you got the idea.) 

This communication is framed by many factors including location, time, emotion, etc., and this all is all framed by culture. While I am not here to teach a course on communication studies (and there is certainly more on this subject), it was important to highlight. This is a fairly easy concept to understand and can be applied to every aspect in your life (unless you're a hermit).

I'd like to say that I am a curious individual. When I meet a new person, s/he is a mystery. I enjoy learning about people's lives- their stories, their lessons, their opinions and what shapes them to be who they are at that moment. Over time, if we stay connected, they will change too, but even that is any interesting process. If s/he has a good or bad experience, how does that shape him/her?

Conversely, for example, it's possible that after about 5 minutes of talking to this person, I am disinterested in his/her life. Perhaps s/he doesn't take the time to discuss or has an attitude; these things happen. I'm not going to like everyone. However, I gave the respect, and for that I am no longer curious, but a learned individual. By doing this, I am being proactive. I am taking active steps towards understanding others and being open-minded to a shared knowledge.

However, not everyone has the same curiosity. It's scary, unfamiliar, threatening and in the most common of cases, boring. It's easier to be disinterested and stay in a bubble. It's difficult to imagine this, but as I've grown older, I realize that this discourse in respect and human connection is very prevalent. In this world, with a swelling 7 billion people, you're not alone (again, unless you're a hermit). This is a topic I will refer to many times so long as I continue my blog.

This time around, however, I want to address this phrase: "be proactive, not reactive." It's a phrase that gets tossed around and, in theory, sounds wonderful. Is it applied to everyday life? Absolutely not. 

I've been paying closer attention to the news media lately as much as I hate it. The 24/7 cycle of sensationalism is unfortunately difficult to avoid. One of the phrases I keep hearing after reporting on a story is, "and here to react" and "now with a reaction" with an introduction to some person....who is this person? It could be Joe the Plumber, Mickey Mouse, Allison the blogger, who knows. It actually doesn't matter. Whether you like it or not, now this person is saying why s/he is happy, sad, or angry or whatever his/her opinion is on this subject. Is this person using research to back up his/her conclusions on the subject? S/he doesn't have to; it's just a reaction. 

In my blog post about the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, I discuss why it's important to speak your mind and form your own opinion on a subject with quality research. Whether you agree with me or not, news media is not a reliable source of information. Unless you're strictly looking at specifics, statistics and hard evidence, it's difficult to decipher what is real and what is fake. When an individual goes on a program to "react," are they presenting any truth? Absolutely not. It's pervasive, and it spawns more falsehood regarding any subject matter. Worse, it defeats the purpose of our phrase: "be proactive, not reactive." You cannot have full knowledge when you choose to not accept it. It's scary, unfamiliar, threatening and in the most common of cases, boring. 

"Curiosity" in itself will not solve world problems-. What will? Open dialogue, respect, understanding (not tolerance) and a way to work through all the ~noise~ out there. We can be proactive humans on this planet if we choose to be (unless you're a hermit).

Anti-Immigration Propoganda in Rome, Italy. April 2016.