What is NEWS doing to you?

The TV and the Newspaper are such an integral part of life;  a lot of us are pretty hooked. Can’t start the day without the newspaper and the early cup of filter coffee, was something I was stuck in for a long long time. That somehow broke. 

This morning, when I saw the growing pile of not read newspapers, I decided to do a focused quick browse of at least headlines, as the guilt ( perceived guilt for not doing what I believed was the right way to start the day) got the better of me. With each days paper covered, I found myself getting dragged into more and more disturbed space. 

Would I need to explain? Would you wonder why? No, I’m sure we’re all aware of just how negative that space is becoming, terrorism, accidents, crime, rape, violence, corruption and on. It’s not as much about the world getting worse, people becoming worse…no, it’s about what sells. It’s the sensationalizing of the dirt and grime, and somewhere people getting mesmerized and dragged in by the negative. If economics over the years has instilled in us that we need consumerism and materialism to be happy, the media today seems to be telling us that the world is by and large a big bad place.

It's what we start the day with, and maybe even end the day with. After all TV, is an even more graphic and loud image of the same horrible negative news. And we are not immune, we are bound to get impacted. We seem to be subjecting ourselves to a lot of unwanted muck through this. (Any news worth knowing will anyways reach you, either from friends, at office wherever).

Is it possible to get into selective reading and not subject ourselves to this stress? Like stay away from the first page, and the second and maybe even the third? Maybe just go on to the Op Ed or Sports which is still great space to be? Yes, but that would need to come from a conscious decision to change, change years of habit.  Choose the positive and the inspiring, dump the negative. I think it's worth trying.

This brings to mind the anecdote of the frog in boiling water:

                                                         

If you put a frog into a kettle of boiling water, it will immediately leap out.

On the other hand, if you put a frog into a kettle of cold water and gradually heat the water, it just stays in even as the water gets hot...... and even when it starts to boil...... until is even dies. 

Its used as an illustration to show how survival instincts are geared to detect sudden changes, but the same risk fed gradually is not detected. 

Lets try and be more aware of what we expose ourselves to, what we imbibe and more importantly, what we would then be or reflect. Don't let the temperature of the water deceive you :)