STARTING POINT: Dare to be Aware

Television... computers... radio... video... music... film... billboards...cable... Everywhere you look: media!

As the media world expands, many of our readers tend to be casualties of the Media Age — from children who suffer nightmares from televised violence to families whose income diminishes as credit rises and automatic tellers fluorish. On the other hand, many see the potential of new media as a solution. For example, coomputerized electronic bulletin boards can efficiently centralize services for the disabled while audio tapes and telephone trees keep the elderly in touch with their lifelong community of friends.

Understanding today's complex media revolution is not easy. But the first step is awareness. And that's what this issue is about. In developing the articles, we worked on the premise that neither avoidance nor passivity is appropriate for the media-aware individual. Instead the aware viewer-listener is like Jacob wrestling with the angel, who determines that "I shall not let you go unless you bless me." As with the patriarch of Israel, the match results in change, danger — and the freedom to cross the river.

We hope the thinking and action-ideas in this issue will be a major resource not just for your own learning but for you to help others cross over to living fully in the coming Media Age. And do let us know how you use this issue and any results. It will help us prepare future issues to keep the media working for you.