Saturday, August 30, 2014

Simple Living: Why I Don't Follow the News

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I don't follow the news, at least not frequently. I know it's unconventional, but it has done wonders to improve my life. The primary reason I don't watch the news is because the news is depressing. It's filled with stories of shootings, wars, death, scandal, political division, and a host of other negative crap. Following it takes up time and emotional energy I just don't have to spare. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if we all stopped watching the news?  What if instead of being watchers of the news we became makers of the news.....the good news that is. It's just a thought. What about you? How much news do you consume?
"Don't let them steal your happy." ~Jennifer Pastiloff

10 comments:

  1. I'm exactly the same way. I don't watch news or read newspaper. It's a conscious decision I made about a few years ago, and we don't put/leave TV on for that purpose (and you don't want your kids watching TV all the time anyway.) My husband read news online when he feels like it, and it's been a great change for us. It's so much easier to focus on the good instead of the bad. I wouldn't mind subscribing to a newspaper that is full of wonderful news from around the world though :)

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    1. Ha! A newspaper filled with good news....now that's a great idea.

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  2. Such an interesting topic. I don't watch the news mainly because we don't have a t.v. and I love it. I occasionally go onto CNN to get the latest news worthy topics, but I NEVER watch/look-up/read the local news. I sometimes worry that I am isolating myself too much, but in today's society, I think it's important to shield yourself b/c all you hear on the news channels these days are the horrible/sensational things - baby locked in car, etc.

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    1. Hey Fran. For many years I did not have a TV, but in the last year got one and signed up for cable. After a a few months of watching cable news and other shows, I've quickly realized why I did not have a TV for so many years. The news is a real downer.

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  3. I agree wholeheartedly. It is very rare to see encouraging and uplifting in the news, which is why I rarely keep up with it.

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    1. Yes, I wish the news had more of a balance. There are plenty of good things going on in the world worthy of broadcasting.

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  4. I thought I was the only one! A few years ago I worked to make my world smaller. Deleted Facebook, and stopped obsessively watching and reading the news. Did wonders for my daily happiness. And raging neurosis :)

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    1. Stephen, I think you are my long lost twin! Around the same time I stopped regularly following the news I also stopped Facebooking. I haven't regretted the decision to do so one bit.

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  5. Wow it is so nice to know I am not the only one!!!!

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