Does anyone remember that saying? I used to hear it all the time growing up (mid-80s) but you don’t really hear it much anymore, which is sad. Why? Because we could all do with some reminding of its meaning.
So, what sparked my little rant on this subject? Well, my daughter and I were sitting in the vet’s office this morning, and the office was playing the local radio station (WPKO), where I heard one of their top stories, “14 dogs found dead and skinned in the creek bed beside…” WHAT?!?! I was flabbergasted. I’m a huge animal lover and to hear a report of such atrocities really hit me hard, but the worst part was knowing something this terrible happened in a small town where I grew up.
At the same time though, I’m thinking why the heck would people want to hear this kind of “news” on their lunch break? Then my mind continued its silent rant against today’s media, why would people want to hear about the latest and most brutal rapes and murders at 5 AM when they wake up? That’s practically all you hear when you watch or listen to the “news” nowadays. How could you possibly skip off to work, to sit in your prison cell, er, 4′ x 4′ cubicle, and expect to be in a positive, optimistic mood? Geesh. Then we wonder why so many people have road rage during the early morning commute.
Can we really be surprised by an increase in crime and the number of inmates in our prisons? If we’re constantly inundated with horrible, negative messages, is it any wonder that’s what the world is getting in return? Garbage in, garbage out. Or like I wrote in this week’s quote, you get back what you put out to the world.
Personally, I know not watching the “news” is a key factor to how I stay so optimistic and positive about my life. It’s not until I get mentally hijacked in situations like this morning that I even hear the “news.” I tell all my family and friends to give me a call if: the world is ever actually coming to an end, the sky is falling or there’s intergalactic warfare because I do not watch or read the media. Extreme? Perhaps, but in the battle to stay worry-free and happy, filtering incoming messages is vital. Notice I wrote filter not censor. There’s a huge difference and I in no way support censoring any form of expression. Of course, if you’re not a happy person to begin with, this filtering of negative media probably won’t do you much good, but it’s worth a shot.
Do you think I’m over-analyzing this? If so, try it out. Don’t listen to the media or read any media for just a week–only seven days–and see if you feel better about the world after taking a sabbatical from your local news network, local and national newspapers, or even worse, CNN, Fox News, and so on. I think 90% of the public would have to admit their overall attitude improved, at least a little bit.
P.S. Here are a couple resources I found helpful in boosting my belief that I’m on the right track about fear, worry, negativity, and so on. I don’t prescribe to the religious aspects of this website, but I do enjoy the spirituality and tips for being a better person, inside and out. Both of these were posted on Your Charmed Life Blog by Victoria Moran.