"We must read our newspaper of course- newspapers on both sides; but he who founds upon his newspaper is an ignorant patriot and an illiberal citizen.
His opinions are no more than parrot-like repetitions of other men's sayings;
whereas he who dwells with dutiful interest upon the history of his own country, distressed over her ignominies, proud when she has shown herself great; who has pondered the history of another great empire - admiring the temperate justice with which its distinct colonies were administered, and scrutinizing the causes of its fall - he gradually acquires some insight as to the meaning of national life. He is able to express an opinion which is not a mere echo, and gains convictions which will certainly be of use to his country, even if they are only known to the people about his own fireside."
Charlotte Mason, Volume 4 Some Instructors of Conscience: History and Philosophy
Years ago, Laura Berquist urged readers to prioritize 'formation over information' though one could not argue that she did not value information as well. The trouble is that information by itself requires much interpretation and careful application. Hence the old adage: a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.
The idea that insight is acquired gradually is not a popular one in our day of instant everything. It used to be a commonly held belief that responsible citizenship involved a good deal of study through immersion in whole books on a variety of topics. Lately, while chatting with friends, one or the other of us will be challenged about how much we have read about a specific topic of current interest. Often, either I or the other will have to respond with, "Very little." The good news is we need not succumb to the pressure to hastily claim a position while having little foundational information to base that upon. We can - ought - to step back and begin the laborious process of informing ourselves the same way our forefathers did. As Miss Mason says, that involves reading from both sides of the aisle in any discipline. It means avoiding the echo chamber like the plague.
The informed patriot does not gloss over uncomfortable truths, nor does that history discount the indisputable forward steps. This good citizen spends proportionately more time listening and observing than proclaiming or condemning. If the short, attention-grabbing newspaper articles of yesteryear were a concern for Miss Mason, I can imagine how distressed she would be to know how much of our contemporary worldview is drawn from brief statements of no more than 280 characters. There is a great danger in confusing sloganeering with philosophy.
The screens may be here to stay. As we look ahead to both a new school year and an election year, I consider it one of my primary duties as an educator today, and a citizen, to keep them from usurping the position whole volumes ought to hold for us and for our children.