By David Magallanes / Guest contributor
It’s something I have to have. I buy it and have it delivered to my house every day. I can’t imagine not having it, and if I’m out traveling and can’t get it, I catch up with is as best I can when I return. When I don’t have it, I’m anxious and feel like I’m missing something.
What I’m referring to, of course, is the daily newspaper. It’s been a daily staple in my life for as long as I can remember. I distinctly recall purchasing the daily New Orleans Times-Picayune when I was 18 years old, stationed in Mississippi at an Air Force radio school. While overseas, I read the Stars and Stripes. When on Long Island, New York, on the job, I’d pick up the New York Times or Newsday. Wherever I’d travel, I would seek out a source of news. Today, I read the Ventura County Star every day, just as I have, in all its permutations, since I moved to this area nearly forty years ago. And of course now I enjoy my weekly read of Amigos805.com to have a taste of what’s happening in my Hispanic community.
I always felt the need to know what’s going on in my world. I used to see my dad reading the Los Angeles Herald Express, smoking a pipe, when I was young. I knew that as an army veteran, with the memories of World War II still fresh in his mind, he was interested in the affairs of the world, and I suppose that’s where the example was set.
I’m realizing that I’m becoming part of a minority group within my “minority group,” which is actually a majority group. Whatever. But this truly “minority” group consists of newspaper readers. Whenever I stop in at one of my favorite coffee shops and open up my newspaper, I feel, well, like a fossil. Everyone else is reading news (they are, aren’t they?) on their laptops, their phones, or their Kindles. Old guys may rule, but we’re about the only ones that seem to read the paper version of the newspaper anymore. Is that WHY we rule? Hmmm. But let’s not get distracted here…
I see the benefits of my daily fix whenever I get into a discussion with someone about the state of affairs in the city, county, state, country or the world. Sometimes, when I hear myself talk, it sounds like I actually know what I’m talking about. At times, I wonder, “How can they know so much more than I do? What are they reading?” Other times, I realize I need to scale back because the person with whom I’m having a conversation doesn’t have the remotest background on the topic at hand. Along with all the English courses I had throughout my education, the newspaper, along with all its writers and journalists, has taught me how to write. My vocabulary is continually refreshed and is always expanding, especially since I often have a dictionary at my side as I read. I recently discovered (“It’s about time…,” a young person would say while rolling their eyes) that I can look up word definitions on the Internet with my cell phone.
But I think the greatest benefit of my habit is that I feel I understand the world around me so much more than if I did not catch up on the news every single day, in one form or another. As I read, I give myself lessons in history, zoology, anthropology, politics, business, health, technology, sports, weather, astronomy, finance, the arts, relationships, medicine, geography, food, entertainment and human nature, just to name a few. I may not know a lot about each one, but I have a background that allows me to speak at least semi-intelligently when I address some of these topics with someone.
If nothing else, I never run out of things to talk about. The parties I attend wouldn’t be the same. As I begin a dialogue with someone, I find it easy to slip into a topic that is mutually interesting, which is the stuff of enjoyable and even memorable conversations. It gives me a chance to get to know the other person, to discover their take on the world, to get into their mind.
Sometimes reading the newspaper simulates an emotional roller coaster ride. I imagine myself buckling my seatbelt as I unfold the fresh periodical in the morning. In one sitting, my reactions range from thoughtful pondering, to hearty belly laughs, to melancholy, to tears of rage, to shock, to tears of sorrow, to disdainful smirks, to gleeful chuckles, to tears of joy, to enlightenment, to despair, to tranquility and to hope. I always like to end with “hope.” Hope that this world will become a better place for the young — not the turbulent, discouraging world I see presented to them sometimes. Hope that the intensity and number of wars will diminish and eventually disappear from the planet as we slowly — over eons — realize that wars are counterproductive. Hope that ignorance will crumble as we become more illumined as a race. And finally, hope that my physical vision will allow me to read the newspaper (or whatever form of news I read) for many years to come.
After all, I have to have something to talk about at these parties…
— David Magallanes is the creator of his own enterprise, Real World Projects, a business primarily dedicated to building distribution outlets for highly reputable products that offer a healthier life and a more vibrant lifestyle. An emerging branch of Real World Projects is Edifiquemos, a Spanish language enterprise dedicated to teaching the Spanish-speaking how to create a profitable international (U.S./Mexico) enterprise with low investment and high earning potential. David may be available for speaking opportunities. To contact him and for more information, you are invited to visit and explore his web sites at www.realworldprojects.info and at www.edifiquemos.com His e-mail is dmagallanes@RealWorldProjects.info