I don’t watch the news because it depresses me. I know, I know, this take on life is not recommended. But I have to be honest – I care too much about having a positive outlook on the world to fill my mind with horrifying stories (even if they are true).
America recently held its first of three presidential debates. I didn’t watch it, but I read about it. Here are two of the highlight quotes:
“I have much better judgment than she does,” he said. “There’s no question about that. I also have a much better temperament than she has … I have a winning temperament.” (Trump)
“You know, he tried to switch from looks to stamina. But this is a man who has called women pigs, slobs, and dogs, and someone who has said pregnancy is an inconvenience to employers, who has said women don’t deserve equal pay unless they do as good a job as men.” (Clinton)
The whole world is spiralling into depression over the US candidates for this year’s election. Both candidates’ characters are rife with scandal, cover-ups and derogatory comments – I have to agree, it doesn’t look good so I can understand the negativity.
However, no matter the hot topic of the day there are a few things we have to remember when we watch the news.
All news has a negativity bias
Bad news sells. Not only does it sell but it is able to create mass hysteria. Create an “enemy” out there and an entire nation will be fearful towards this group of people. This fear is something which politicians use to further their own agenda. News stations will always report more bad news than good news, so take what they say with a pinch, or three, of salt.
It’s not as bad as they make us believe
I found this website: http://diamandis.com/data recently. Essentially the world is not as bad as we have been led to believe:
The number of annual hours worked continues to fall.
The number of democracies in the world continues to rise.
The number of people enslaved continues to fall.
Violent crime rates continue to fall.
The number of wars continue to decrease.
World life expectancy continues to rise.
Pay and college degrees awarded to women continue to rise.
Don’t believe everything you hear.
News reporting is not always grounded in truth. Often times it is grounded in some truth and leaves out vital information which could change your perspective. Whether or not they admit it, most news stations have an agenda. It could be money, advertising, or political support.
Keep things in perspective
Many, many times we have been told the world was going to end and it hasn’t. People pick up on “end-of-the-world” paranoia very quickly. Just because it feels like the world is going to end, doesn’t mean it is. Keep things in perspective; we have lived through troubled times before. Although I am not denying the violence and desperate situations, we aren’t in the middle of World War 3.
Read more than one source
The best way to find a reliable channel of information to form opinions on, is to read multiple sources with different viewpoints. I often read an article from a few different newspapers to try to establish what really happened.
In summary, I think its safe to say fear is a waste of emotional resources and time. If we let our lives be governed too much by fear, we make small decisions and live less of a life than we could have. I believe in Jesus and believe that we don’t have reason to fear. I believe if we accept Jesus into our lives then we can live above the fear zone, in the faith zone – unafraid of death. And this, my friend, is why I don’t watch the news.