I have been in such a battle with myself for the last year or so. Ever since the economy took a big nose dive into the pool of funk, we have been inundated with bad news. I know that news networks thrive during bad times. They come up with news pieces like the “Top 5 ways you could be damaging your credit” or “Top 10 dishes you can make out of ramen noodles during these hard times.” Well, I’ve had it. I have been tuning out most of the news.
I noticed it was time to do so when I would turn the TV in the morning and it was nothing but bad news about the economy. So I would get ready and drive to work. I turn the radio on and it’s news about how low the Dow Jones started that day. So I listen to my “Earth Wind and Fire” CDs to keep me upbeat despite the nonstop flow of bad news. I am at work checking my email and checking my iGoogle site with feeds I’ve created. It usually has bits from Yahoo! news and MSN.com.
More bad news. I just couldn’t get away from it. I was beginning to feel down. And it wasn’t just one day. It was like this giant gloom over me. Now, I know the economy is bad. My credit lines have been cut big time. My interests have been jacked up. It’s harder to find a job. I look at shops like Starbucks and they are closing left and right. Circuit City completely went out of business. I know it’s bad. But it seems like the news are defining how bad it is. And it’s creating a panic in society.
Now, fear is only good when you are being chased by a bear. It’s a survival mechanism that incites you to act. But when fear begins to paralyze people and take over the minds of folks, I got a real problem with the source of that fear. In my case, it’s been the news.
In the past, I thought that if I didn’t read or watch the news, I wouldn’t be aware about important events like the starving children in Darfur or political tension that is brewing in South America. But can I honestly do anything about these things in a grand scale? I’m all about doing what we can to help others but that’s a lot of pressure for me to solve those problems, come home and solve the financial crisis here in the States and cook rice without it sticking to the pan.
Since I’m done with the bad news, I’ve limited greatly the incoming news feeds. Whether is changing the channel, subscribing only to Geek.com and sites that talk about cool gadgets and the occasional viral video of the week for a good laugh.
I’ve had to do this for my sanity. You and I deserve happiness. However you decide that looks like for you. I was letting news take away my happiness. You and I know that people deserve to work. The people that have worked hard for things in life deserve to reap those benefits. The people that fight for our freedom deserve to be treated with respect. Having said that, I think we don’t need news to constantly remind us that it’s bad. We know it’s bad. I have been getting in the mentality that I can and will do the things I have in mind. I have been visualizing myself reaching the goals that I have set for myself whether the economy is bad or good. Call it positive thinking, visualization or just plain determination to make it happen.
Notice how bad you feel after you watch the news. Notice that feeling inside of you of fear. You don’t know if your job is next. Or if you don’t have a job, where your next paycheck is coming from. I don’t like feeling like that. It makes me feel like I have no control whatsoever. And while there are things we can’t control, you have some control over your life. After all, I did write this and you are reading this.
I don’t ignore the bad news or the reality of it all. But I am choosing not to let it determine my future. For my sanity’s sake. For my peace’s sake. I am thankful for what I have. And I push to change the things that I can and accept the things that I cannot change. So bad news can pick a bridge near where I live and jump out of it. Long live rice that doesn’t stick to the pan!
