Selective Ignorance:
How to Choose What Not to Watch

Three days before the new year began, my wife, Tessa, and I cut our television cable subscription. We made the decision to not only save some money, but to also salvage a few brain cells at the same time.

Photo Credit: schmilblick

Back in episode #75 of The 5 AM Miracle Podcast, I shared a rather unusual Tip of the Week. I briefly shared my perspective on television news media. More importantly, I said that news was “hell on earth.”

I also shared in this previous blog post, Never Watch the News: Here’s Why, more of my feelings around the news and its impact on your life:

“Fear sells newspapers. Death, destruction, mayhem, and sensationalism are all wonderful marketing tools that glue your eyeballs to the tube, paper, and website. News media outlets are profitable because you can’t stop watching all of the horrors of the world flash before your eyes.”

Today, I expand on my discussion, respond to an anonymous hater who calls himself Batman, and share how you can choose to be selectively ignorant.

The Joy of Selective Ignorance

Let’s open up this can of worms with a brief definition of ignorance: lack of knowledge or information.

To be selectively ignorant is to intentionally choose specific facts, or sources of information, that you wish to simply not know about. In other words, you are purposely deciding that there is just some stuff in the world that you don’t want on your mind, in your memory bank, or on your television.

Most of us believe that ignorance is a bad thing. I disagree. I have proven to myself that ignorance around specific topics, and from certain sources of information, can be enormously beneficial, productive, and profitable — not only for me, but for those I serve as well.

Batman54331 doesn’t like my opinion. Here are his thoughts posted on Apple Podcasts a few days after my podcast episode went live:

Normally, I never give the light of day to haters like Batman. I would typically just delete the non-constructive note and move on. However, this feedback was on Apple Podcasts where I have no control over what shows up and what doesn’t.

Contrary to Batman’s thoughts, I wasn’t promoting illiteracy, gullibility, or a total lack of critical thinking. In fact, from where I sit, watching the news could actually make someone LESS of a critical thinker and MORE gullible (easily persuaded to believe something). And let’s not forget that watching the nightly news has nothing to do with your ability to read.

To be fair to Batman, I have watched comedy news shows quite a bit in the past, which I did for the humor, not as a source of news.

What Does It Do For You, Really?

Imagine what happens to your brain when it is exposed to disgusting images, horrible announcements, and tragic events for many hours a day, every day, until you die.

Does a scenario like this contribute to your “worldly views?” Are you a better citizen because you watched a murder on TV? Are you better at your job because you know whether or not an ice storm might be happening on the other side of the country two weeks from now?

Most importantly, (and this is why I do what I do) does watching the news or being “informed” about current events help you become the highest and best version of yourself?

Are you more skilled, more disciplined, more productive, more loving, more generous, or more capable of living out your purpose if you frequently, consistently, and intentionally expose your precious mind to obscene, tragic, or disgusting information — no matter how true it may be?

The most important question you must ask yourself is WHY?

Why do you watch the news?

How does it directly IMPROVE your life?

Does it at all?

Cutting Cable

My wife and I cut the cord. We got rid of cable. I’d had enough.

Even if there were certain programs I wanted to watch, I was unable to avoid the advertisements, the sensationalism, and the noise.

I couldn’t find a happy medium of being selective with my programs so I just cut the whole thing altogether.

Now we have a combo pack of digital subscription options (Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime) for the occasional television shows or movies we choose to watch.

Highbrow News

Contrary to my outright hatred of modern news media, there is a subset of news that I don’t find to be as extraordinarily ridiculous. It’s a rare breed today, but it does exist. I refer to it as highbrow news.

Essentially, highbrow news is investigative journalism. It is news the way news was intended. It’s objective, fair, rational, and nonjudgemental. It doesn’t scream BREAKING NEWS! with every story because not every story deserves that kind of attention.

Highbrow news is intelligent. It’s thought-provoking and causes you to think critically. It’s filled with vocabulary you’ve likely never heard of and it provides you with information you would literally never find on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, or any other major network.

Where do you find such intelligent news?

I don’t know. I haven’t seen it in years.

Maybe 60 Minutes used to report stories like these. The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times might do so on occasion.

But, the reality is that news is not what it used to be and it never will be again.

If you want to trust the news you consume then you have control the flow yourself by choosing what to watch, and going so far as to cut whatever isn’t working for you.

Benefits of a No-News, No-Cable Lifestyle

Life without news and cable TV is quiet . . . eerily quiet.

Without a television on in the house I have found myself with more time to read, think, meditate, listen to great music, and sleep.

It’s not revolutionary, but it is remarkable.

I am not a different person today because I don’t have access to cable, but I am certain I will be a newer, sharper, more satisfied human being as the years progress.

Life without news is not new to me. I’ve been selectively ignorant for years.

The real joy of a no-news lifestyle is the time to work on what matters most to me without the irrational fear in the back of my mind that accompanies hyper-news consumption.

But What if I NEED The News?

Some may think that without access to news you could miss out on important updates that could directly effect your life. There could be bad weather or an important event in your industry that effects your job or living situation.

That’s true, expect for one obvious omission: most people are hyper-connected to everyone else 24/7. Between Facebook, smart phones, and normal human interaction, it’s highly unlikely you will miss out on something you actually need to know.

Part of being selectively ignorant is choosing for yourself what you are willing to give up. In other words, if you actually do need to know something and stay on top of a current event, it’s not hard to find access to the Internet.

How Can I Become an Informed Citizen?

Read!

Crazy! I know, right?

Becoming an informed citizen and staying sharp about how the world works are both worthy goals. Fortunately, you have many options outside of traditional news outlets to generate a smarter, savvier, and sexier brain.

If it isn’t obvious already, I am wildly passionate about personal development. I devour non-fiction books, personal growth magazines (like SUCCESS Magazine), blog posts, podcasts, audio programs, online courses, conferences, mastermind groups, accountability partnerships, coaching services, self-help products, and any other source I can get my hands on to learn more, grow more, and succeed more.

News consumption is an addiction. The good news is that you can break that addiction and form a few more healthy habits to replace the lost time.

I recommend picking up a good non-fiction book — something highly relevant to a current goal of yours. This strategy is called just-in-time learning and it is remarkable.

When you begin to consume information about your current goals you make faster progress and end up accomplishing more goals. You gain new knowledge and insights without all the baggage of the news cycle — trying to keep up with what’s going on in the lives of people you can’t control, won’t ever see, or will have the resources to help.

In my world, life without news gives me a breath of fresh air. It allows me to be more present, more trusting, and more aware of those around me.

I know this sounds a bit crazy if you have been a news junkie your whole life, but there is another way to live.

How to Choose What Not to Watch

This is up to you.

The beauty of selective ignorance is that you are master of your own domain. Your brain is your castle and you get to choose what goes in and what does not.

The danger is that you must choose wisely. You must proactively fight against the societal expectation of knowing every current event, all the time.

If you choose the path I have taken you will end up with haters like Batman. The only difference is that your haters could be in your family, close circle of friends, or sitting across from you all day at the office.

Choosing to be selectively ignorant is truly a badge of honor because it represents your ambition to pursue the goals that matter to you while simultaneously destroying every obstacle in your path.

I applaud you for taking the critical steps to make every moment of your life meaningful, constructive, and progressive.

It’s not the most obvious decision, but it is one that pays phenomenal dividends.

Next Week

Next week on the blog I will be discussing why you need a stalker . . . seriously.