No News is Good News!

No News is Good News!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

“Where shall the word be found, where will the word resound? Not here, there is not enough silence…”  T.S. Elliot

There are things happening in the world today which are disrupting our lives and are sitting prevalent in the forefront of our minds: race wars, terrorism, economic downfalls, geological disasters, corruption, health insurance, where is the next paycheck coming from and more. There is plenty of negative resounding in our little world(s).

In fact, negativity thrives in our newspapers, magazines and in the hands of sensationalized media and conspiracy theorists. Turn on the television and various radio stations and bad news is running 24/7. And people argue hatefully about it all the time, often in the name of ratings and good attention getting drama. These scare tactic news reporting techniques are being rubbed in our face non-stop. I think if you watch and/or listen to too many of these programs you begin to feel their disturbing effects deep within the psyche.

I’ve noticed how bad news has also made its way onto our basic newsfeeds and sidebars when you surf the internet.  I’ve even observed the sites sponsoring fear-oriented news feeds. In other words, there are people out there paying to distribute bad news. Kind of weird, no?

It’s also interesting how decision makers deem it important to include what I call “unworthy” news items such as how someone posted a “selfie” in their underwear or so-and-so wore a new kind of bikini.  I call these “No News” items. You know, the kind of thing that makes you wonder why someone thought it should be called “news” at all.

In thinking about these things, I’ve concluded the only way to avoid these bad news items and keep the negative forces from infiltrating our lives is to turn off the news. The old adage that no news is good news seems to apply here. Personally, I don’t have a desire to be subjected to a constant barrage of depressing events every minute of every day. It takes away from the joy of living life.

On the other hand, we cannot live our lives completely sheltered from it all. Some news is important for our awareness. Therefore, you take a little of the bad along with whatever you can find of the good for general information’s sake; but to sit and have it rehashed over and over again really isn’t necessary and generally detrimental to our well-being, in my opinion.

I am striving to live by the philosophy of how no news is good news and to turn it off.

I want to focus on the positive, as this blog attests to. I want some good news. I look for the good vibrations. I want to laugh and have some realistic fun. So even though I say no news is good news, there is one exception: No news is good news unless it’s good news; meaning, when news is good, then it is good news and all is good!

Now, I am not suggesting we live in a fantasy land of unawareness to all the happenings in the world today, but to reasonably reduce the amount of chaos in our lives has to be beneficial in some way. I want to make a conscious effort to tune in to the goodness in the world today.

I have my car radio set to a station that airs a specific morning program I have come to pay attention to. On this program is a segment that shares a little bit of the good news. It is called, “Tell Me Something Good.”  Every member of the radio programs team tells a story from the news that they believe focused on something good. It's a warm fuzzy moment to begin the day. The idea alone is worth its weight in gold.

I have also noticed that the Huffington Post has a online news feed that only shares good news items.  Check it out at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/good-news.  Now, this is a progressive news service that understands when enough is enough and endeavors to provide a healthy balance, or at least an alternative. That is pretty cool!

When you think about it, there really are many beautiful things going on in the world, but we are subjected to so much more of the negative then we are of the positive. That is why I started this blog, to make a conscious effort to rid myself of all those things I have no need for and/or those things that attempt to bring me down when all I want to do is soar. T.S. Elliot probably had it right when he said the following:

 

“Teach us to care and not to care. Teach us to sit still.”    T.S. Elliot

For me, I will adhere to the no news is good news unless it’s good news policy!

I like it better that way, don’t you?

Cheers!

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