An ideal communication is when there there a message being passed across and tha there are feedback from the receiver to ensure mutual understanding.
Most of what we know and believe about the world comes to us through communications such as the newspaper reports, television airings and radios. These mediums serve to evoke our compassion and emotions. One such example is the recent hurricane Gustav.
The pictures were extracted from BBC website, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7592283.stm.
In the light of the previous hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Washington) immediately carried out evacuation process, to avoid even more casualties as depicted during hurricane Katrina.
Awareness throughout the world is increasing as photos and video clips on the impending hurricane are being published online and on national television.
As seen in the photo on the right, in the face of horrendous rain, the television crews are braving the storm to capture the intensity of the scenario. Because of these courageous crews, awareness is spread throughout the world.
17 comments:
I agree that the photographers or cameraman or whoever took the pics are the heroes..With photos, the story would stand out even more!
indeed, it takes courage to be in the frontline to take all these photos. but i think it is not just courage, but the ever-readiness to be there cos such "news" and natural disasters strike anytime.
i have a friend who works as a photographer with the papers. i admire his passion for the work, though it entails shifts and somewhat irregular ( or unpredictable ) hours at times. though of cos he may not had the chance to take such "heroic" photos in tiny Singapore, but still i think the job attitude is worth the encouragement. i can understand the difficulty with shift work from my short stint in the A&E. Adrenaline rush is not my cup of tea.
a picture speaks a thousand words. can we imagine news reports nowadays without photos or videos? it is the times of technology now. though we have lotsa idiot proof cameras now, taking a gd picture is still a skill and an art. you think it is easy to capture the scene just with a snapshot? think again.
I quote “Because of these courageous crews, awareness is spread throughout the world” And so we thank the media for these making disasters known to the world to increase awareness among the majority who seem so oblivious at times. However, my question is whether society is doing the necessary deeds to help the less privileged? I’m guilty as all the others as I sit around and give this comment. we only critique and cry out for help when crisis hits us, but do we deserve aid in times of disaster if we don’t aid others?. I certainly beg to differ.
Mmm... it makes one question Rene Descartes's famous presupposition, "'I think therefore I am." (Taken from his philosophical classic, Discourse on Method.)
If what we come to "know and believe" (quotes Moses) is from communication, our knowledge of the world and even ourselves is not independent nor self-sufficient. Rather, knowledge is a derivative- a derived cognition is dependent upon external sources.
Ultimately, our own existence and ability to comprehend or communicate is subordinated to the One who fully communicates to us- our Lord and our God. It is God who revealed the world and the truth about ourselves to us. It is God who speaks truth into our hearts and breathed life into our soul. He is the ultimate communicator of Truth.
Therefore, a more accurate proposition would be “I believe, therefore I am”- where all knowledge and communication is subjected upon Theology (knowledge that stems from God) instead of Philosophy (knowledge that may be absent from God). To be brutally honest, any communication that is absent from God would simply be nonsense. =)
wow Gideon. that was powerful. and insightful of cos.
just to share a verse :
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline." - proverbs 1:7
slize has said it quite well.. it shows us another perspective of media that not only it serves to convey news, but also urge us to be kind and aid others.
From a worldly view, no man is an island. From a biblical view, it tells us that love is not subjected to the ones who love you only. but also to your neighbors!
the first and greatest commandment that Jesus has said is,"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
the second greatest commandment follows the first: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
In times of crisis when we say saving ourselves is of utmost importance and tat only the strong deserves to survive, perhaps we can think again as others equally worthy?
kudos to the men and women who risk their lives to give us a better understanding of the happenings around the world. just look at the recent Myanmar protests, where a Japanese video journalist was killed while covering the protest. it created quite a stir-up in the local media.
thus i have come to a conclusion that it is not only with courage that is admirable in these people. but also with their utmost passion which deserves our respect.
to Gideon:
God is an opinion and ,in my opinion, a state of mind. Just as Godlessness is another opinion with its own state of mind.
To one maybe,one may call the words of God truth.To me,it hypocritical bullshit,especially when so many men claim to hear God's almighty voice.I don't know about you,but I am not ready to trust anybody who think he is worthy enough to hear voices from God.Literally or metaphorically..or perhaps even spiritually.
Too much "noise" in the communication barrier between me and "God" for me to truly believe whats really out there.
And a few corrections,Renes Descartes's quote was merely a regurgitation from that of Siddhartha Gautama,the historial Buddha. "What we think, we become."
Knowledge is in self.Failure to understand self will lead to our own spiritual destruction.From the Gospel of Thomas
Jesus contemplates "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you"
In relation to the heroes in the article,they stepped into hell ,into chaos and destruction to bring us knowledge of what was REALLY happening.Photos speak out a lot more.
Good Day =D
Actions speak louder than words.
And because of great photography and videography, we get another slice of this world and its affairs.
I definitely agree that the introduction of visual communication has made a greater impact in the media industry.
Personally, i like reading the news or an article better if there are any sorts of visual materials to go along with it!
Well, i guess most of us enjoy reading articles that include captivating pictures.
Credits to the crew behind these scenes, braving through catastrophes and dangerous moments.
A simple picture allows one to think and spark conversations. This is how wonderful communication can be.
the first thing that caught my eye was your funny user pic! ha
anyway. the useage of pictures or photographs is one of the ways that draw the readers' attention. henceforth, most readers will get capitulated by the pictures first, process what they see, and then try to figure out what the article is talking about before reading the article.
however, it is also interesting to note that some of the good articles are featured without the aid of any pictorals.
looking forward to ya next post!
Photos not only show the subjects in the photos but also the photographer's plight. This is an interesting observation made by you. Most people would concentrate on what is in the photo rather than the person who is taking it. From this we can ask if the photographer is taking the photo to show awareness of natural disasters? Or is he taking the photo to show the plight of the people caught in it?
a picture speaks a thousand words. with the aid of a picture, the gist of the article is placed forward and it makes the article more attractive.
the picture is also a good display of non verbal cues.
definitely, these heroes behind the scenes deserve our salutations!
Note: This is a partial response to Raj. =)
As we reflect on the notion of “groupthink”, it is crucial to understand that “groupthink” as a noun is Descriptive (it describes a situation) and not Prescriptive (like prescribing medicine to remedy a situation). Therefore, it is a fallacy to impose the notion that all belief(s) held by groups are inherently erroneous.
“Groupthink” warns us of an errant social phenomena that we have be aware of (this is descriptive); however, the knowledge of “groupthink” does not solve the problem that exist within “groupthink” (this is prescriptive). Hence, to prescriptively claim that all group decisions (for example, Christian’s belief that Jesus Christ is Lord) as erroneous “groupthink” is presumptuous because it is using a descriptive knowledge to impose a prescriptive judgment. To put it simply, you are using “groupthink” as an excuse to reject any claim that you disagree upon. Ironically, this form of uncritical thinking is what leads to the problem of groupthink itself! What you had done was reminding us that we as human beings have a problem that leads to our own harm.
Moses has described the problem of groupthink well. Follow the bad group, and you’ll be in trouble. Reject the bad group, you’ll also be in trouble. Moses is correct to lament the sad reality aren’t “we all subjected to groupthink, one way or another”. Even the bible describes the phenomena of groupthink. Look at John 12:42-43. "Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him (Jesus), but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” Groupthink reveals that the fear of man is apparent our hearts, and in our effort to appease others, we end up hurting ourselves. We need help, a prescriptive help that will help us in our weakness.
This is why I believe that we need Jesus. Jesus is the true prescriptive wisdom and revelation from God, only he can save us from the problems of groupthink. Colossians 1:18 says “And he (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning…so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” A group prescriptively needs truth to get it right. When Christ have supremacy in a group, the group not have the effect of “groupthink” because He us the supreme wisdom of God! (c.f. Colossians 1:16). The problem comes when WE want to have the supremacy! We want to control others, and we want to follow others other than God! This is a tragedy as they are rejecting the true prescriptive solution to groupthink. Only Jesus is our true prescriptive medication to the illness of groupthink.
Jesus had cried out to all to come to him to gain rest, to gain wisdom from him. Proverbs 4:7 encourages us, “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Receiving the wisdom of God requires the humility of the heart and submission to his wisdom. May we take his words to heart and eagerly seek for Jesus. Just as my beloved Bible Study Leader Huifen writes, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” - proverbs 1:7a. =)
A picture speaks a thousand words as they say. Without these photos, no matter how descriptive words the writer uses, one would simply have a hard time imaging the destruction it causes.
While we are glad to be able to see the mayhem for ourselves, we should be reminded that these photographers are jolly well highly paid and sought after for these photos. Thus, the issue of their moral high ground is at doubt here I suppose. It is their profession afterall.
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