STOP READING THE NEWS?

The other day one of the pages that I "like" on Facebook sent a list entitled 7 Habits You Must Stop to Be Happy. As I read the list that had the expected "Stop blaming others; Stop criticizing others; etc." number six stopped me in my tracks --"Stop Reading the News."

I admit, I am a bit of a news junkie. I listen to the news on the radio, watch it on TV, read 1 to 2 newspapers everyday, and then of course surf some sites on the internet to get the latest breaking news.  And then there are all the news magazine shows like Dateline, 48 Hours and 20/20 which have also become a staple in my TV watching diet. So considering I'm a pretty happy person, I thought what a bunch of gobbledygook! 

However, then I remembered last year, when I went on a vacation to the Galapagos Islands, and during that glorious 10 days, I was totally cut off from any news. I knew nothing of what was happening in the world and I found it somewhat liberating. I didn't know about all the tragedies that had beset the world during this time. The world could have been facing all sorts of dilemmas and insurrections and I was totally and blissfully unaware. And it felt good.

I realized then that the pronouncement of "Stop Reading the News" to be happy is somewhat true. Consider this, if you were an alien, just getting the news feed from Earth, you would think that there is nothing but bombs blowing up, thievery, corruption, murder and general mayhem. No wonder we haven't yet had an encounter with other worldly beings. They would probably be thinking "That is one nasty civilization. Let's boost this spaceship to warp speed and get out of here and leave these barbarians to their own devices!"

"Nice" news doesn't get reported. Why? Because the media reports what they believe we want to see. Visually, bombings, bodies splayed out in rows, sobbing relatives draped over recently lost loved ones -- now that's news! The billions of acts of kindness that occur every minute of every day does not make good copy!

Perhaps you are thinking that it isn't you who is fuelling the negative meanderings of the press. But you are, and so am I. I don't know if I would watch a good news channel. Things that go bump in the night have an element of excitation around them, whereas a good nights sleep does not.

Not only that, but we have also become desensitized to the horrors afflicted on others. We sit there with our morning coffee, and read about the most abhorrent scenarios, look at the pictures and then turn the page. Reading about these things, watching them on the nightly news, does not make us more informed. What it does is desensitize us.

There are many abominations and tragedies happening in the world as I write this. But there are more nice, normal things which we tend to forget. Somehow we need to find a way to celebrate the goodness and positivity in the world, and not just focus on what's broken. 

To "Stop Reading the News" to be happy is a bit of a pollyanna approach. I mean ignorance is only bliss for a short period of time. 

I don't know what the solution is, but I believe that being grateful for all that is right with the world might be a good place to start.