being informed is a good look

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: being informed is a good look 📰 

growing up, my family was always subscribed to some type of newspaper service. the globe and mail was a favourite for quite a while until we all switched to skimming through articles online. i’m thankful my parents put me in the habit of reading the news and keeping myself informed, because it’s such a valuable skill in a multitude of ways.

i don’t mean thoroughly reading about every new bill being passed or huge funding round from another startup. information fatigue is a real thing, especially when it comes to politics. by being informed i’m referring to keeping up with larger events happening around the world. 🌎️ 

after all, you don’t live in a bubble. knowing enough about the present world is crucial.

the biggest benefit i’ve gotten from being informed is that i’ve become a better conversationalist. it’s easy to start up a conversation with “did you see argentina win the copa america yesterday?” even if the answer is a “no,” you still have some sort of leverage and can continue the conversation by asking if they watch any sports.

huge events are an easy middle ground to open up a conversation and establish common interests. not to mention, it always a fresh topic since they’re aligned with the present. as a result, you avoid the redundancy of “what’s your major?” or “where are you from?”

actually having substance leaves a memorable impression on others, whether that’s networking at a conference or just meeting some new people on campus. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 

it’s not hard to be informed either. a quick scroll on any major news website (more serious events) paired with twitter’s trending hashtags (new trends in pop culture / drama) will do the trick. contrary to popular belief, i believe social media is actually a great source of information as long as you validate the facts yourself. unfortunately, many important topics are undisclosed and censored by major news stations recently. keep interacting with posts about the genocide on palestine and project 2025.

read the news. 🤓 

ps. course registration went okay … it could have been better but we move.

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