Day 19- Personal Spoke: No news

Day: 19

Spoke: Personal

Habit: No news is good news

I don’t watch the news. Nope. Not ever. If I’m out somewhere else and it comes on, I can’t even tolerate five minutes of it before I have to walk out of the room.

This habit allows me to maintain peace in my life. It keeps my stress levels low and helps me concentrate my energy on the things I can control, verses having my mind worrying about things I can’t do anything about. Not to mention, the news tends to focus on the 5% that’s wrong with the world, and I’m more interested in the 95% of the world that is beautiful and good.

You see, I majored in mass communications. I have a bachelors degree in it. I have many, many friends deeply engrossed in the industry. The industry is broken and deeply disturbing. I know that they pay their bills by viewership statistics. The more eyeballs they capture, the higher dollar value their ads can sell for. They depend on you staying glued to your TV to make payroll.

However, Americans tend to watch the most news when there is drama. So the news has become what is called “sensationalized.” The more outrageous the headline, the more likely you are to click on it. The more dramatic the story, the more likely you are to leave the TV on to hear updates. They more sensational they keep the news, the more money they make.

I make a very intentional effort to not have drama in my life. I’m not going to invite it into my home.

Some of you may be tempted to think that I would just prefer to bury my head in the sand and deny reality. I beg to differ with you. When you compare us to the scope of history we are living in one of the most peaceful times in the history of humanity. But where are the headlines blasting that? It doesn’t make as great click bates as the latest tragedy or political disagreement.

Despite popular belief, things keep getting better. Now granted, if we want to keep it this way we need to take some drastic measures to repair our relationship with the earth and counteract climate change, but regarding the role of violence, we’re okay guys. Statistically speaking, more than any other time on earth, you and your kids are probably going to be fine.

When I keep the news out of my life, I am happier. I am able to give all my attention to the things I can control and influence. I still remain an informed member of society, but I don’t need the 24 news cycle to help me with that.

To put it simply, there’s too much information. Between TV, social media and other online platforms, we are being bombarded with more than we can take in. My recommendation is to become an expert on your own life and your own community and focus your energy on what you can do to make it better.

Think global. Act local.

I chose to turn off the TV and take an active role in improving my life, improving my family and improving the community where I live. Everybody wins.

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

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