Without a doubt, many people believe that watching, reading and or hearing about the news is boring. I am here to tell you that I used to be one of those individuals, and I am now addicted to keeping up with the news and cannot get enough of looking up the most recent stories.

A few years ago, every time I would see a news channel on television, I would immediately flip to a different channel; I was interested in something more mindless, yet entertaining. I found that watching the news was too scary, and it frightened me to see that the world I live in can go in shambles at any moment. However, I was very wrong.

Fast-forward to my first year of college. I was in my own little bubble and in my own world at school. I was content and overly happy at college, but something felt very wrong. In some of my classes, we were asked to connect current events to the topics that we were learning, and I could not really think of any relevant current event issues, except for celebrity gossip. I was extremely disconnected with the world around me and was unaware of the latest pressing issues that were occurring, which was a HUGE problem. I decided that I needed to change this problem immediately and become more connected. I downloaded various news applications and started getting the daily updates directly on my phone.

WOW. Just after a few days, I finally felt like I was not living under a rock! I noticed myself interested in topics that I never realized I would be interested in. I also realized that I was applying my knowledge about current events in the classroom and in school assignments and papers. I was sparking debates with my family, friends and teachers and realized my newfound love for current event issues and discussing how issues in our country can be prevented.

And let me tell you, it is NOT a great feeling to be THAT person who is unaware of pressing topics in the world and that practically lives on another planet.

So here it is, my theory about how keeping up with the news versus "Keeping up with the Kardashians." Increasing your awareness about current events has nothing but benefits. It will not only increase your knowledge and widen your perspective about particular topics, but it will also prepare you for the crazy things that occur on a daily basis in this world. Both extraordinary and horrific events happen. The world we live in is a remarkable place and what happens in it is never to be expected. You never know if something could happen to you that has happened on the news or if the news could help you by informing you to do something.

I used to be afraid of the world, but I realized the only thing that I should have been afraid of was the unknown.