There was a trend back in the 80’s for newspapers and television to report “good news”. If I recall, the theory was that if we watched more happy news, we would all be happier people.
Surprisingly, it didn’t last long.
It wasn’t from lack of trying. Television stations all over the United States tried to report on “cats being rescued from a tree” or “squirrels water skiing”. The trend wasn’t accepted because it wasn’t real. The world is full of bad news. People are killed,and the elements disembowel entire communities with the power that only Mother Nature can distribute. Good loses to bad.
These are the hard cold facts. We can’t change it.
What we can do is be a little better to each other.
Image from aboutproxmity.com
We could start using kind words. We could start being a little more patient. Let go of our frustrations for a time. Bad drivers, standing in line too long, bosses who can’t find their ass from a hole in the ground; these are the things that make up all of our lives. No amount of road rage, sighing and tapping our feet, or bitching at the coffee pot is going to change that.
These are very stressful times. Forget sequestering or some fiscal cliff, our own inability to provide for our families, and keep our mortgage intact is enough to make us strike out. Statistics have shown that violence within the family unit rises when jobs are scarce. Stress levels increase as men and women have to work more than one job to barely make ends meet, and when that equation includes children, the stress can become unbearable.
So we scream at the driver ahead of us for not moving fast enough when the light turns green. Or, we call the young girl behind the counter at the gas station an idiot because we didn’t get the sale price on the 3 for $2.00 candy bar special. My guess is that we just want to be heard.
Everyone’s been on my ass, so we’re going to be on theirs.
It doesn’t work.
We’re in this together. I know there will be times when we are completely justified in asserting our rights, but many of the things we let antagonize us are acts that don’t deserve our anger.
We can’t change them. Pick and choose the things you spend your emotional energy on wisely.
Let’s try being kinder to each other. I’m not condoning your being a putz, just a bit more thoughtful of your fellow human being.
Let’s let kindness be the good news, and leave the squirrels alone.
Re the good news only thing. When I talk w/kids about radio, they or their parents ask about that very thing. I say that news is like a “wet paint” sign, there to alert you to something not the norm that may affect you. That’s why there’s not a camera crew @ the airport every day to report that all the planes landed safely.
That’s a great analogy.Alex was 14 when 911 happened, and we both decided to turn the TV off the evening of Sept. 12. We knew that if anything else were to happen, we would find out about it without watching the same awful scenes over and over again. We listened to the radio and music. It was healthier for both of us.
As part of this soliliquy I mention the “wet paint” sign, and then ask, “But have you ever seen a sign that says ‘dry paint’?” This last time around, two of the Mora Tiger Cubs insisted that yes, they HAD seen a “dry paint” sign. Future hecklers.