The last time I really thought
about “time” was when
I was working, but now
that I am in my retirement,
COMMAERNTTARY
TIME
By John Wilson
I have discovered that I can more
easily see the big picture. If time
was slipping away before, it is now
racing, as Facebook, a multitude
of TV channels, and the political
division in this country grab my attention. We are talking less
and less to each other, driving our vehicles as though we were
crazy, and the workplace has never been so sterile. I am also afraid
that for most people, work is only that. Even organized religion is
in trouble. Our attention span seems to be as short as the second
hand on a stopwatch, if anybody still uses a stopwatch. Here we
are searching for the same thing –– faith, truth, peace, love, and
companionship. So what happened? Time is running out for many
of the very things we have in common, like good music, good
books, and good television. By running out, I mean fewer and
fewer people are interested in those things that we used to take
for granted, such as a good television show, a good baseball game,
or sharing time together as a family. I had resisted the temptation
to even approach this problem until my son Mark replayed one
of my old Facebook postings about “time.” Comparing then and
now is scary because the prevailing conditions of “then” have
only gotten worse over time. Things that are not getting better:
conversation at the dinner table, neighborhood isolationism that
separates the underprivileged from the rest, and the prevailing
conflicts on “talk television” that are setting horrible examples
of how we should behave and communicate with each other.
Fiercely competing interests combined with a general lack
John Wilson
144 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
of respect for opposing viewpoints
are confusing us, and the plethora
of talk on television is fueled more
by conflict than truth. Our media
sources are not able to help because
they are driven by the need for
circulation, viewership and ratings
that they are lacking. It’s going to
take time, and a lot of it to rediscover
our common goals, despite the conflicting viewpoints that seem
to drive us apart.
The level of tolerance for opposing points of view has all
but collapsed, along with standards for acceptable behavior
and conduct in public. Individually, we are each just one vote,
which may not sound like much these days, but collectively,
that is exactly how we can get something done. That’s how our
system works. There should be no place for a raucous crowd of
angry misfits, or shouting individuals. Responsible decisionmaking
is about collective decision-making that is the result of
voting. In 2014, 40 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in
the mid-term election, and 60 percent in the presidential election
in 2016. We must somehow get more people to vote because
elections can be lost due to a low turnout of disenchanted and
poorly informed citizens if everyone doesn’t exercise their right
to let their opinions be heard. This happened in Europe, when
a public vote took England out of the European Union, despite
many being against leaving it. Make your voice heard. You will
pay the penalty if you don’t. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson, who retired from Fox TV in 2014,
worked more than 50 years in radio and television news broadcasting.