Jude's Farewell

by Jude Mann

We live in a world that is far too opinionated. People such as our parents and teachers constantly feed us information regarding various current events, which range from those that are social to those that involve foreign affairs. As teenagers we must be appreciative, as it is part of their responsibility to educate us about the environment we find ourselves in; however, the “information” given to us can easily be disguised as news. Their insight is commonly rooted in a strong sense of bias, whether it is intentional or not. After all, those who inform the younger generation of the present day are informed themselves by national news stations and other media outlets, which, unfortunately, are incredibly misleading. The current world dawns a new era of social media, where anyone can post his or her opinions and falsely label them as the truth, which is then drilled into the minds of people who are innocently trying to keep up with the craziness surrounding them. It is now our responsibility as tech-savvy, young individuals to learn from the mistakes made by those before us and gain knowledge from a variety of credible sources.

This editorial I project to you as the reader is far different from what I have written in the past. As this is my last editorial for the Maryleaf, I figured instead of boring you with facts that would sadly “go in one ear and out the other,” I would leave you with this: I wrote unbiased articles that obtained detailed facts, as this is how news should be presented. I am not a politician, and I would certainly love to keep it that way. I came to the conclusion that in a world full of bias, there was no need for me to project my own opinion, which would ultimately be drowned out by everyone else's anyway. My goal as an editor for the school’s newspaper was to humbly educate, while adding my opinion to the news I  presented would reveal an underlying sense of arrogance, as education is far more important than indoctrination. Here is the bottom line: As you navigate a planet that changes at an incredible pace, you need to stay curious and be open to the viewpoints of those you have chosen to disagree with. This will lead to the realization that you have more common ground with them, contrary to your initial belief. Viewing all sides of a situation and being aware of bias in the media will allow you to create a well-rounded and educated opinion. In addition, having an open mind results in humans being less cynical and judgmental, which creates a path to a happier and healthier life.