How to explain my addiction to news? I visit multiple news websites daily, multiple times. What is it about the taste of current events that I find so compelling? It doesn’t make sense.
I’ve several friends who’ve sworn off -- they just don’t go there anymore. My husband reads the Sports section only, the only section I toss aside. I, on the other hand, check in daily with CNN, Google News, Politico, Huffington Post, Daily Beast, USA Today, News 8 Weather, NPR News, Slate, Salon, New York Times and yes even People. And for the most part, I find it depressing. Sad, really.
I want people to get along and play nicely with one another. I want our elected officials to behave like mature adults. I feel powerless reading about natural disasters and starving, displaced humanity. The daily drumbeat of joblessness, rising poverty stats, bankruptcies, homelessness and frustration wears me down.
I want our country to provide equal healthcare benefits for every citizen -- a system that operates with no cheaters, no loop hole divers, no corruption. I want the folks who pour into our country from Mexico without permission to have a way to live without fear--we need to provide them with a clear, tough but legal pathway to legitimacy. I don’t like feeling ashamed that my religious heritage is Christian. I want gay folks to feel normal and welcome in our society and appreciated for all they contribute. I want sexual predators of any stripe, be they Catholic priests or porn drenched perverts, to be isolated and rehabilitated. You get my drift.
The antidote I generally rely on is recalling myself to attend to my own sphere of influence. beginning with my own mind. The truly nourishing news is within, really. When I access She Who Knows, the taste of optimism and gratitude creeps back in. It is my best shot at behaving like a mature adult and playing well with others. I’m also reminded how difficult it is, day in and day out, how much vigilance is required. Please God, don’t let me get caught on CNN.
I wish I could express myself as beautifully as you do! This new junkie (since the Gulf War) feels exactly the same way you do about politics, healthcare, etc.
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