Michael Heykoop

What are the perils of living at a time when information more widely available than ever before? Information is a good thing. It is impossible to make wise decisions without having information. We use the written accounts of others to learn what has worked, and what hasn't. We can analyze different potential outcomes. We can explore points of view beyond our own perspective. More information must mean that everyone is making better and better decisions. If we look around us, that is clearly not the reality. How does one find truth in this age of lies and fake news?

How do you separate the news from the noise? This is one of the many challenges of living in the information age. In decades past, the news was a one-hour event where news anchors would describe a handful of the day’s issues and emerging trends in an attempt to keep the viewer well informed. Today’s 24-hour news channels rely on an innate ability to extend a popular story. Once it's understood that a particular item will attract viewers every detail—relevant or otherwise—every comment and every tweet become breaking news and is dissected ad nauseum.

More than 2000 years ago, the legions of Rome ventured from their isolated peninsula and dominated the Mediterranean, Middle East and much of Europe for hundreds of years. The political system and ideals spread by the empire have continued to shape the continent of Europe to this very day. Rome may have fallen in AD 476, but the last 1500 years have been filled with repeated attempts to recreate the essence of the Roman Empire, the unification of the nations of Europe.