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We live in the age of information, an age where numberless facts lie no further than the nearest laptop, iPhone, or Blackberry. It is no stretch of the imagination to believe that the average American must be likewise more informed, more educated. After all, this is the United States of America, the world super power.

We have quality public education, free to any child. We put millions of dollars each year into educating our young students, our future leaders. How could a citizen not help but be informed? How could anyone choose to ignore the world around him or her?

Despite this incredible abundance of information, the knowledge of the American citizenry is surprisingly lacking. Take, for instance, a compound often discussed in chemistry classes, but virtually unknown to the general populace: dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO).

This compound is literally everywhere in today’s advanced society, but few know the incredible danger it poses. DHMO is clear, odorless and tasteless. Large quantities are known to be fatal, yet it is routinely placed in sodas and energy drinks.

DHMO, also known as hydroxyl acid, is the primary component of acid rain and contributes greatly to the erosion of millions of acres of land each year. Even more shocking, DHMO can cause severe burns in its gaseous state and tissue damage in its solid form.

DHMO has become so widespread that it is now found in all of Wisconsin and Minnesota’s lakes, streams, and rivers. In the classroom, DHMO is carefully controlled and often used as a solvent. In the public, it is consumed and inhaled continually. In 2004 alone, it accounted for more than 3,300 deaths — and you unknowingly drink it every day.

Why is a substance like dihydrogen monoxide allowed to run rampant through our society? Why has the government done nothing? The U.S. population—you, me, your neighbor, your child — has become dependent on the media and the government.

We have lived for so long being told what someone else thinks is important, what someone else thinks is dangerous and what someone else thinks we should do, that we no longer think for ourselves. We meekly accept the opinion of those in positions of authority and never ask why.

We trust blindly, never thinking that our trust might be betrayed, never thinking that we could be manipulated by whosoever holds the keys to the information we are given.

Knowledge is power, and so is information. Next time you pick up a soda or energy drink, remember what it is you’re drinking, remember that sometimes you need to think for yourself and ask “why?”

Russell Buehler is a senior at Onalaska High School.