Surface Skimmer or Depth Diver?

Thinking about the topic of details made me remember the advent of USA TODAY, the bright news-at-a glance paper that debuted in 1982. It was conceived with the idea that the average American reader and advertiser wanted news that was quick, easy to read and not too disturbing.

Today, according to USA publisher Gannett's website, USA TODAY is the largest selling paper in the nation. http://www.gannett.com/about/history.htm

I remember my grandmother saying at the time, "This is going to be the start of a trend. People don't want to think deeply about the news. They want a snapshot that doesn't get them too involved. Attention spans are getting shorter." She was a learning disabilities teacher at the forefront--she was still in the business of convincing teachers and parents that learning disabilities really existed.

My thought this morning: is this an evolutionary response to information overload? By necessity, we have to filter information at a rate never before experienced for humankind. In order to grasp a broad picture, we have to be skimmers, don't we?

But then again, maybe it's time for our critical thinking skills to gain more development than ever before. We must teach ourselves and our children to challenge, research and dive deeper in order to really understand the world we create every day. It's become far too easy to have a moment of sympathy for the victims of a devastating accident then turn to the funnies.

I also don't advocate wallowing in misery. What a balance this demands! Taking the time to go a little deeper into what we read and have a discriminating wisdom about what we decide in regard to it is more vital than ever. It is a discipline that I fear is fading.

But it is one that I am going to work harder to cultivate. I like the quiet of the deep. I just need to remember how pleasant and warm it is on the surface sometimes.