Turn Off, Tune Out, Drop In
by Tom Buchanan
February 21, 2007

My to-do list grows by leaps and bounds mainly because I have succumbed to the theory that I need to know what is going on in all aspects of life. At times the information overload leaves me overwhelmed and semi-comatose to what really needs to get done. There is an almost a constant nagging battle in my head to stop gathering information and do something that will make a difference.

And what is it that we are fed through underground cables and satellite dishes? We are forced to hear every sordid detail of Anna Nicole Smith or Britney Spears shaving her head. We complain “Who cares!”, but we still watch and listen, waiting for a tidbit of news that will affect our lives. Most days are only full of news outlets speculating what the outcome of the story will be.

The sad reality is that most endings are about as anticlimactic as when Geraldo Rivera hyped his live television event the opening of Al Capone's secret vault beneath the Lexington Hotel in Chicago. Can you believe that happened in 1986? The anticipation of what Big Al hid behind the wall was drummed into us at every commercial. It was 'Can't Miss TV.' What we got was a pile of dirty clothes and a bottle of old gin; hardly news worthy.

So when we all cry 'who cares', the story becomes why you should care and if you argue that you don't care, it is thrown back that surely you must care or you wouldn't call in to say you don't care. Oh, and here I am writing about something I don't care about and you are reading it. Obviously we must care.

One of my other pet peeves is how much I, along with society in general, are influenced by advertising and marketing to possess the latest newfangled thing, whether it be the latest computer technology or gardening tool. I live in the clutter of stuff I don't need because of really good marketing. It is as though I am possessed with a gene that should only be in the DNA of some guy named Jones.

We seem to be constantly bombarded with polls so that we can compare our opinions and desires with everyone else to try and figure out if we are normal and do everything to align our thinking with the majority. It is a very strangely insane method of way pursuing or even maintaining individuality.

Maybe the only way to get the point across to the media outlets that we don't care about tabloid journalism is to make use of the on/off switch.

I think, from time to time we need to heed Timothy Leary's advice, with a twist. Instead of "turn on, tune in, drop out," we need to turn off, tune out and drop in to what is really important in our lives. We are enamored with being more informed than the next guy. We are so plugged into email, cell phones, the Internet and cable news that there is no real reason for conversation because we all know what's going on.

Perhaps we just need to turn off the media and try to have an original thought. Some of my best, or should I say calmest thinking comes when I 'tune in' as I sit in my back yard with the only sound of an orchestra of wind chimes responding to a gentle breeze and the background of my waterfall spilling into the pond.

So, why is it that I tune into talk radio? Is it because that I am afraid that I will miss something? Do I need to know that others think along the same lines as I do? Is it to increase my paranoia level?

Listening and contributing to local talk radio has become a source of agonizing pleasure. Maybe the biggest reason people are enthralled with talk radio is that we actually get to be heard. We are supposed to be represented by the people we elect, but more and more it seems like there is a huge disconnect between us and them. We rant and rail, kick and scream at what is going on around us and the direction that our country is going, but we have become way to civilized to actually do anything about it. We do get to vent, but does anything really change?

Tuning out means I will have to say goodbye to voices that I have come to enjoy hearing everyday. The morning talk program and the one I listen to on my way home may have to be replaced by the sounds of classic rock. Timothy Leary urged people to escape the reality of life by turning on to psychedelics to find oneself. Maybe today the media has become the psychedelic, after all, aren't we all concluding that what we are seeing and hearing does not make sense? What a long, strange trip indeed.

So what do we need to 'drop in' to? Perhaps enjoying our families and friends more. A good talk over the fence with a neighbor that does not include any Hollywood stars or Politicians might be in order. But, what pray tell would we talk about? Maybe we can find new ways, or perhaps old ways to help our neighbors and raise our children. I may even get to some of those neglected items on my to-do list.

So I will say in conclusion that by turning off, tuning out and dropping in I will be protesting the direction that media has taken, but I probably won't be missed as much as I miss it, fore there are masses of people that need to escape reality by having to tune into the latest and greatest news story of all time

Remember, no news is good news and bad news travels fast. Most importantly, if you don't know by now, the next election will be the most important of all time.

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