The Best Decisions Require Thought

What was interestingly different during this year’s provincial election campaign was the growing number of groups visibly promoting their chosen candidate on the day of the election. As I travelled from my home to Toronto, I passed through one particular area where several small groups had formed, each cheering and seeking support for their chosen electoral candidate, all while being closely watched by police.

I considered for a moment whether in fact there were individuals who would vote in the election on the very same day that had not yet made up their mind about their chosen candidate, and, even more unnerving, if any of these individuals could truly be swayed by what appeared to be strategically placed cheerleaders. Have we truly become a society that has so little time to invest in understanding political platforms that our decisions can be swayed on the last day of the election?

From a broader perspective, we must all invest time to fully educate ourselves in regards to political choices. This ensures that the decisions we make are well thought-out, consider several perspectives, agree with our beliefs, and to a certain degree, include a small dose of our gut instinct.

What lessons can we derive?

The reality is that as technology enhances our ability to consume vast amounts of information, so too must we evolve in the selection of information we consume. Facebook, as an example, has facilitated a means to communicate across vast networks of individuals. I am often surprised that the number of individuals who invest what appears to be considerable time in commenting on the “status” of others. With such a captive audience, should we not invest this time discussing those issues that impact us all as a community?

We must begin to apply filters to our communications, no different than those which exist in our email, to help better manage our time, and more importantly, to ensure that we are giving thought to, and gaining perspective on those decisions that matter most.

Let’s begin to manage information, and not let the information manage us.

© Shawn Casemore 2011. All rights reserved.