Frank Cotolo
11 Feb, 2009

 

Actually, this column has nothing to do about that troubled nation Iraq or the conflicts that have plagued the country for as long as almost anyone can remember. I just wanted to get the attention of the reader to underscore a point about getting attention.

 

On Cotolo Chronicles, we feel that getting people's attention is just the beginning of an engaging program. It is keeping the attention of people who are listening, so that they keep on listening, that matters most.

 

Some listeners have begged us to talk about topics like the war in Iraq, the state of Israel, the plight of starvation in Africa and the constant turnarounds of governments in Italy (or as we call it, Itlee [sic]). But we feel to do so would be to move from our center ground of objectivity to a foreground of subjectivity, thus making us one-sided, opinion-heavy and more like the conservative commentators of AM radio.

 

We want to stay light, even in our own opinions, when they happen to surface. This show, after all, is not about Cotolo, this show is about the road ahead, the Hallelujah Trail; that present path into the next present (otherwise known as the future) which we all tread as the new technology takes over our lives.

 

In essence, perhaps we are talking about the truth in Iraq, because those people are also on the Hallelujah Trail; they just don't realize it because most of them don't have 24-hour electric power. But the truth about Iraq is that even people in troubled countries are being affected by the ever-changing technology that has taken over every aspect of our lives (although we still cannot figure how such technology doesn't afford the people of Iraq 24-hour electric power).

 

Things are changing rapidly and to keep your attention on those changes is to take your attention away from what you are used to and what you do to stay comfortable. That is our aim, really.

 

Factors involving your attention are our aim.

 

Our show wants to wake you up, to help you realize that you need to be engaged in your own journey while a world around you changes faster than a blowfish in a twine factory.

 

In fact, even twine factories have gone digital, stepping into the new technology where once human hands toiled and rusty old gears ran the machines that produced twine. Many of you may not feel that twine has a place in today's society. Go and ask the people of Iraq, as we did, and discover that twine retains a specific importance in modern society. Here is what a few citizens of Iraq said when we asked them if twine was important to their lifestyle:

 

"Yes, it is."
"Of course we need twine."
"Without it, things fall to pieces."