The Earth School, The Golden Rule & The Mass Media

In a person’s life the Earth School is the most authentic. Its teachings are very comprehensive. It combines the best traditions of the traditional and non-traditional schools. Its lessons are formal and informal and occur 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and 52 weeks per year.

The major objective of the Earth School is to have us learn by repetition, trial and error. Once we have mastered a lesson, we will proceed to the next level of our educational development. In this school there are many defined and not so defined rules to be learned and one can easily visualize a continuum from accomplishing the simple things of life that many take for granted to the very difficult that we may never be able to achieve in our lifetime. All of us have general and specialized lessons to learn. These are all geared specifically for our welfare.

The Earth School’s philosophy is “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.” This saying could be seen in many different ways by a person, community and nation. But how accurate are our perceptions?

Pictures of Our Lives

Over the course of a day, Americans see flashes of thousands of color and black and white pictures from various sources especially TV, film, newspapers, magazines, books, billboards and the Internet. These pictures have implications for us. They reach us wherever we are whether we like them or not. They impact us consciously and subconsciously. Critics are aware that these pictures accomplish their mission in one way by the tremendous success story of the advertising industry. This multi-billion-dollar industry serves as the backbone of America, Americans and the worldwide mass media.

Pictures and images though could be misleading and although the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) may overlook complaints of some deceptive ads there are still some areas of worry. For instance ads say, “Buy, buy,” “everyone is doing it,” and the product “fulfills one’s life.” Many adults learn to make informed decisions about these products but young children according to activists and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) are particularly vulnerable. Despite this the Earth School requires viable economics for persons to function to their fullest potential.

An individual therefore has to be able to cut through the avalanche of these images. He has to be able to recognize what is true, false or misleading. Persons may be vulnerable to fast moving pictures. Through these, one’s thinking processes may become limited. In spite of this, one still has to make a determination of his progress in the Earth School. While viewing ads is there a particular standard one should expect? What is most important? Is it the actor’s physical appearance or the quality of the product itself? Is it possible to separate the two? Is a salesman’s dress important? Is there prestige in acquiring an expensive car? What is the buyer’s idea of prestige?