Watching most network news programs is an act of attitudinal self-mutilation. The endless string of news stories blasting on about oil slicks, wars, unemployment, government spending, another Lindsay Lohan arrest, or any story about the economy, seems to have a negative impact on my mood. Oh goodness, I KNOW there are shitty things happening around the world, and I really do understand that it's not all spring flowers and sunshine, but if I didn't have a news agency putting the ugly in my back yard I likely wouldn't know the world was so screwed up. After all, while most of my neighbors and friends have tightened their financial belts, things seem to be...well..spring flowers and sunshine!
I know that many people are suffering through local issues, such as the nightmare of black oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico, but most of us in advanced economies around the world, particularly in this country, are doing more or less fine. We can claim otherwise, but the world hasn't gone to hell in the hand basket. It depends on who you are listening too, and what choice you make about what to do with that information. Instead of buying the malarkey that is being fist fed, perhaps going on an occasional news fast is something to consider. Turn off the news, don't read the newspapers, skip your daily dose of Huff Po or Drudge, and be quiet for 15 minutes. Shut up!
Give that a go and you might be surprised, or not, that the real world is generally ambivalent about us, and about you in particular. Have some tea, drink a soda, listen to Bob Dylan, cop-a-squat, chill and be chilled....cuz, sometimes no news is good news...very good news.
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