About four years ago, I stopped watching the nightly news.
It seemed like no matter what channel I turned on, the only news was about the floods, the fires, the murders, corruption, and bad behaviors. It was just so depressing.
And the news magazines and papers I used to pick up at airports when I traveled weren’t much better.
While still keeping up with daily news briefs, I started reading more books, listening to most of them on Audible, and I still subscribe to a few magazines that keep me current on innovation and thought leadership.
Once in a while, on a whim, I pick up a few new magazines during my travels. They provide a bit of balance to my “always reading work publications” credo. This time around, I ended up subscribing to O, The Oprah Magazine.
The June issue arrived with the headline, “Are you ready for some good news?” I was intrigued enough to turn the pages.
The opening paragraph really got my attention because it felt like the author was in my head.
“If you’re feeling like the world is tilting on its axis, like the center cannot hold, like this country is hell-bound in the proverbial handbasket, you’re not alone.
But is it possible that reports of our impending doom have been greatly exaggerated? Why, yes it is!
In the interest of helping you sleep better tonight, we’re about to debunk a few of your most urgent worries…and give you…hope.”
Some of the issues explored in the multi-page article:
- “We can’t possibly remedy climate change.”
- “Young people don’t care about anything but Instagram likes.”
- “America’s cities are crime-ridden cesspools.”
- “Science is under attack.”
- “Old white guys will always be in charge.”
- “Screen time is making us dumb.”
- “Russia has infiltrated the U.S. – and is going to take us down.”
- “Every day it’s nothing but bad news.”
Yep, that pretty much sums up many of the things on my mind, and on the minds of many people. But to my delight and surprise, the information I read shed a positive and hopeful light on every one of those subjects.
What would happen if more networks, newspapers, and publications spent more time talking about how we can fix things, or make positive change, vs. fearmongering, or telling us about all the terrible things going on?
If they don’t or won’t change, then we have to find publications or media that will do that, and stop supporting the ones that won’t.
If you want to read about and hear good news, you can find it, but you may have to look in new places.
And that’s the positive change I chose to make. Many others have as well, which is probably why so many people are sharing positive messages on social media.
Positive messages make us feel good. They make us do good. And they promote more kindness in the world.
Let’s do more of that.
Karen
