Are you wasting your life consuming the news?

(Part 1) When a was a little kid the Yugolsawien war started. Living in the neighboring country of Austria this conflict became a huge topic in news & daily life. One of my first TV news memories was seeing an exploding tank on TV. I asked my mother what this is. She replied with “This is war”.

I soon became terrified of all kinds of news: Radio, TV, Newspapers, and so on. As a six years old boy I was afraid that a war like the one happening a few hundred kilometers away could happen in my home country as well. Every time I heard the news intro I was afraid that the news anchor would announce that this war was about to begin.

As I grew older my anxiety diminished and despite my young age, I became a consumer of news instead. I didn’t care about politics at that time, but stories about catastrophes and crimes fascinated me.

9/11 triggered my interest in international politics. I started to read everything I could find about politics and international relationships. I watched all the international TV stations I could transmit with the old TV in my bedroom: CNN, BBC, Euronews, you name it.

I soon discovered internet news. This opened a floodgate: Now, I started reading all kinds of national and international newspapers. Knowing international politics made me feel like a grown-up.