Disclaimer: The following is an Opinion Piece from The Echo’s Editorial Section. An opinion piece is one in which a writer expresses a firmly developed opinion that is supported by study, reasoning, and circumstantial evidence. It’s a writer’s approach to expressing both what they believe and why they believe it. As a result, any opinions stated in by-lined editorials reflect the author’s views, not the administration or student body of GALA.

When was the last time you listened to a podcast? What did you feel when you were bored with the music you listened to but didn’t want to sit in silence? Podcasts might just be the solution for you.

I don’t mean the boring podcasts about the news or true crime (though if that’s your thing, keep enjoying your podcasts, and I’ll enjoy mine). There are plenty of podcasts that talk about exciting topics, interesting things going on in our world, and so much more. If you can think of a topic, there is probably a podcast on it.

Sometimes, it’s hard to listen to new music and get used to something that you are not sure you will like. For me, I really enjoy having something in the background when I work, whether that’s The Daily, a show by the New York Times that brings you new episodes Sunday to Friday on things around the world, or one that discusses current books.

Recently, I listened to Slow Burn, a podcast that discussed Roe v. Wade, a topic that I didn’t fully understand. Sure, I knew it was about abortion, but I didn’t understand anything about the court case, or the lengths that women had to go to just to be able to be in charge of their bodies. This podcast really opened my eyes to what an effective and truly intriguing podcast sounded like. It kept me engaged, interested, and hungry to learn more.

Now, more than ever, it is important to stay informed on what is going on in our world. This point was only further illustrated when I listened to a recent Daily podcast about the Southwest meltdown over the holidays. While I knew it was something big that had happened, I didn’t understand what was going on when thousands of Southwest flights were delayed and canceled. Now, I know that it was because of one of the Southwest policies for flight attendants that were in the wrong city.

Learning new things doesn’t have to be boring. Gaining knowledge is important so that we can better understand and support each other and the world around us. Podcasts offer a fantastic, engaging way to do just that.