Welcome to the first issue of the new and improved newsletter!
I turned 35 last week and I’m excited to be kicking off this next chapter like this.
My intention with these newsletters will be to inform and entertain – ultimately for the purpose of empowering each of us.
I believe positive change generally starts with awareness.
Awareness will be a continual theme throughout this newsletter – I believe awareness is both a right and a responsibility we all carry.
So let’s start with some techie stuff first.
Techie Stuff
Speaking of awareness, did you know that cell phone companies are required to publish how much radiation their phones emit?
It’s true, it’s call the Specific Absorption Rate, or SAR for short.
There’s a lot of confusion and conflicting information about whether or not wireless emissions (from cell phones or other wireless devices) are actually harmful.
And depending on where you get your info, one can certainly find data to back either side of the issue (as is often the case nowadays) – lots of good info, and lots, and LOTS of mis-info.
I’ve done a fair bit of research on the topic and what seems clear to me is that electromagnetic radiation is probably not good for us. But just how bad it is, is totally up for debate.
Of course most of the establishment says wifi is totally safe – this includes the manufactures of the devices and our own government’s agencies meant to protect us (the FCC, FDA, etc.)
I won’t get started on those agencies just yet 😉 But you know, the same folks who said Agent Orange was safe for us.
A big problem is that most of the studies aren’t particularly long-term, and most of them lack the objectivity required to convince me that everything’s A-OK. Here’s what I can say though;
- Many other countries around the world are banning wireless devices in schools for health reasons
- Brain cancer rates are up approximately 25% in the last 35 years, and testicular cancer has more than doubled
- My head hurts when I talk on my cell phone for longer than a few minutes – and I’ve been using one for about 20 years
Ok, so that’s not exactly bullet-proof data, but in the end, we all end up choosing what we believe. Personally, for the last few phones I’ve purchased I’ve definitely taken into account the SAR rating. My current phone, for instance, has a SAR rating of less than half of that of an iPhone. If you’re really interested, do some research and decide for yourself. At the bottom of this email I’ve pasted just a few links I’ve referenced, but there are countless sources of information on this topic… as the saying goes; Google it.
Some Additional Thoughts
Speaking of “Googling It” – I do find it interesting how you really can find data backing nearly any side of an issue now. With enough time I could probably put forward a compelling argument that the world is flat, climate change is a myth, and the big bang wasn’t somehow caused by Chuck Norris.
But this really is a serious topic.
The fact is, our society is flooded with so much information that it’s often challenging to understand what’s really going on. And this is why “Googling It” is often insufficient, and indeed misleading.
It is only with proper context, and intelligent, willful discernment which questions “the facts” that we are able to arrive at sound conclusions. Because the fact is, there is a vested interest in shaping our beliefs in this country – a very LARGE vested interest.
I’ll leave that topic for another day.
A Last Word…
Awareness is a choice. And often, it’s a very painful one.
There are many things we’d rather not be aware of. Because the truth can hurt savagely, and turning a blind eye is oh-so-much more comfortable.
In this newsletter, I’m gonna do some prying open of that eye – I’m just telling you now.
I believe far too much of our society has become so wrapped up in our own affairs that we willfully ignore some of the scary things going on around us. Things that matter. Things that we are responsible for looking at head-on.
As has been so wisely stated: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
If we are to change anything, if we are to make the world a better place, it is our duty – our responsibility – to become aware, regardless of the pain involved in the opening of our minds and of our hearts.
I for one, want to make the world a better place. And it has cost me dearly. I know many things now which I wish I did not – not because I’d rather be ignorant, but because I’d rather they not be so.
Nevertheless, they are, and I choose to keep looking.
Because change starts with awareness.