Is too much news bad for you?

Is too much news bad for you?

I had a co-worker who once told me that she never reads or watches the news. “Ignorance is Bliss”, I thought to myself. You see, I HAVE to watch and read the news. I like to know what’s going on in the world. Every morning, I turn on the TV and watch the various local and national news. Then I turn on the computer and scan websites for more news articles. By the time I got to work, I could tell you what was happening locally, in the state of Florida, in the USA or around the world! I was well informed, I thought. I liked that feeling of knowing what was going on everywhere (ok, maybe not everywhere, but you get he idea!). I felt good.

I USED to feel good…. Occasionally but more and more often, I started feeling bad inside. I was getting sick because all the headlines considered “news”, were all about terrible things that had happened. Killings, suicides, homeless people, abused kids, wars, death, genocide, Bush/Cheney, dishonest politicians, eminent domain… the list goes on and on. Many of these articles brought tears to my eyes and laid a heavy, sad burden on my heart. These stories were also having a negative effect on my outlook on life. Not only was I getting mentally fatigued and depressed, but I was starting to lose hope in mankind. That is not me. I am normally a happy go lucky person who sees the positive in life. A believer in people: I see the positive in people. A sunny disposition no what happens. My cup was always “half-full”, even though a few people thought I was half-out-of-it!

All this “news” was conflicting with and tormenting my soul.

Something had to change…

I moved to Germany! Yep, that helped immensely. By moving to Germany, I was not being bombarded 24/7 with all that negative crap. In the States, it seemed like all the news was bad news. Yes, there is bad news in Germany, too, as in the whole world but it was not the same. Now I can still access my old websites via my laptop, but I’ve also altered my routine. I stopped reading many of the articles. I might still glance at the headlines; however, I no longer feel the urge to read all the articles. Only a few select ones. Now, I have less “negative” reaching my inner depths. Less negative feeding my soul. I feel better, again.

I believe that what we read, becomes a part of us whether we like it or not. If we read/see only the negative, then we will only see the negative. On the other hand, if we read and see more positive….

While many people love to read fictional stories about romance, revenge and spies, I, myself, prefer non-fiction works concerning the nature of the human being. This is enlightening. With this, I am fed the positive. It makes me feel good. It also becomes a part of me. I might not remember it all, but it becomes a positive influence on me. It helps me stay grounded with an inner view toward what are the real reasons we are here on earth.

That, makes my soul feel good!

Perhaps my ex-coworker was right after all?

right or rong?