Opinion, even by experts, is just that, an opinion. Our global world has been constructed for us to look to others for their opinion so that we may know what we "should" be thinking. A decade ago, I wrote a blog post called The Spectacle of the Real - https://edbrenegar.substack.com/p/the-spectacle-of-the-real . In it I wrote the following,
"Fueled by a 24/7 news cycle, actual news - a statement of "facts" that an event, an accident, a death, an agreement, a visit or something has taken place, described in the traditional journalistic parlance of "who, what, when and where" - is transformed into a spectacle of opinion and virtual reality driven by the images of faces speaking words of crisis, fear, and self-righteous anger. Televised analysis - more important than the "facts" of the story- drives the news through the ambiguity of the visual image and is its source of validation. ...
These televised events aren't conversations seeking truth, but, rather, people talking at and past one another in a game of leveraging images for social and political influence. We are drawn to the image on the screen of these "experts" having something to say that is meaningful, hoping that at some point some sense of the moment will be revealed, bringing reality into view."
These opinion "leaders" are characterized as being "influential." This is the currency of leadership today. Being influential. After almost four decades of working with leaders, I'd say that influence is no longer leadership because it is intended to suppress real leadership which is to be "a person of impact." Do actions speak louder than words?
Yes, I believe they can. But we must not be influenced to be passive and fearful, when there are so many situations within our reach where we can make a difference that matters. Be a person of impact and tell that story. Genuine influence will result.
Opinion, even by experts, is just that, an opinion. Our global world has been constructed for us to look to others for their opinion so that we may know what we "should" be thinking. A decade ago, I wrote a blog post called The Spectacle of the Real - https://edbrenegar.substack.com/p/the-spectacle-of-the-real . In it I wrote the following,
"Fueled by a 24/7 news cycle, actual news - a statement of "facts" that an event, an accident, a death, an agreement, a visit or something has taken place, described in the traditional journalistic parlance of "who, what, when and where" - is transformed into a spectacle of opinion and virtual reality driven by the images of faces speaking words of crisis, fear, and self-righteous anger. Televised analysis - more important than the "facts" of the story- drives the news through the ambiguity of the visual image and is its source of validation. ...
These televised events aren't conversations seeking truth, but, rather, people talking at and past one another in a game of leveraging images for social and political influence. We are drawn to the image on the screen of these "experts" having something to say that is meaningful, hoping that at some point some sense of the moment will be revealed, bringing reality into view."
These opinion "leaders" are characterized as being "influential." This is the currency of leadership today. Being influential. After almost four decades of working with leaders, I'd say that influence is no longer leadership because it is intended to suppress real leadership which is to be "a person of impact." Do actions speak louder than words?
Yes, I believe they can. But we must not be influenced to be passive and fearful, when there are so many situations within our reach where we can make a difference that matters. Be a person of impact and tell that story. Genuine influence will result.