I don’t listen to the news,
read the news,
or watch the news on television.
Blasphemy, a friend tells me.
We have a duty as citizens to be up to date
on what is going on in the world.
But really, I just can’t do it.
The news,
it’s depressing,
anonymous people commenting angrily,
all of the world to be feared,
your backyard too,
and I sleep poorly because of it.
My friends, the ones who sleep better,
relay important information.
Do I need the news? No!
I only have to look in front of me.
What do I see?
Good people,
trying to do good things,
to help make their neighbourhoods,
their world, a little better.
What happens today, presented with
such drama in the news,
is forgotten tomorrow.
A cascade of theatre,
flowing over us through the media,
demanding our attention,
demanding our emotional response,
each piece pushing the last piece out of the way.
Can we even remember
what was in the news last month?
Last week?
This morning?
News is distraction from the important things in life:
friendship, learning, building community,
building competence, wisdom,
expressing love.
Drop yourself in a country deemed dangerous
by your government and you will find at the ground level
that people are generally decent,
helpful, kind, respectful, and want you
to be successful in your travels.
The opposite?
Disrespect? Unkindness?
They are the exception.
And it’s the exception everywhere,
in your neighbourhood,
and all across the planet.
Drama in the world?
An elite’s scandal?
A politician behaving poorly?
Just distraction.
Not newsworthy.
