I often find myself involved in discussions about the fact that most of the news we hear on television or read in the newspapers is bad. We know that people tend to buy more papers if the news is ‘sensational’ in some way.
It seems that there is a biological reason for this. The most basic parts of our brain respond very quickly to fear. We are ‘pre-programmed’ to respond to fear as this has been vital for our survival. The ‘flight or fight’ response has been very useful for escaping from wild animals but in modern times not many of us have to do this! The response can still be activated though by what we read and hear on a day to day basis. This can lead us to believe that the world is more scary and dangerous than it really is and over time can adversely affect our health.
We can help ourselves by choosing what we watch and read and how often we do this. Do we really need to watch the news several times a day? Here is an alternative news magazine called Positive News that has just been re-launched after 1,526 people bought community shares during a 30 day ‘Own the Media’ campaign.
The Positive News Magazine began life as a ‘free’ newspaper when it was founded in 1993 by an amazing lady called Shauna Crockett-Burrows. It helps to highlight some of the good things that are happening in the world and connects people and ideas. Here are a couple of links, one with information about Shauna Crockett-Burrows and the other to The Positive News website. The magazine is produced 4 times a year and would make a lovely present for yourself or someone else.
http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2012/jun/18/shauna-crockett-burrows
https://www.positive.news/
Whilst I think it
true that in the media context bad news is good news, i.e. it gets our
attention, I don’t think we can or should be selective about what we read and
we certainly shouldn’t be shy of it.
It’s important to be aware of what’s happening out there ~ good and bad;
I would suggest too that many parts of this wonderful world we live in really are
very scary and dangerous. Just look at
Syria.
To be blessed with
the opportunity to live our lives the way we would wish or choose is not a
birthright. Sadly, that privilege is
enjoyed by a relatively small number of people.
Nor is it achievable by those who are oppressed or living in an
environment where personal choice is denied them to have the life they would
like to live.