I think I’ve discovered a downside to being a news junkie.
This will sound old-fashioned, but I’ve always felt it my civic duty to stay informed about the world, uber informed, in fact. If you’ve read this blog, you know I read more than 100 books annually, consume multiple print newspapers daily (three since 10th grade), and subscribe to more than 40 magazines a month. The influx to our home drives my wife nuts!
This has no doubt benefited my knowledge base, career, and general cocktail-party conversation. But what’s been the downside?
Significant, I think. Massive, I fear.
Even though I’m often called the Energizer Bunny due to my prodigious energy, I struggle with staying positive. So much negativity comes our way: politics, war, human suffering, violations of trust, corrupt leaders in business, government, education, religion, etc. It’s overwhelming.
I don’t believe I’ve truly calculated the collective negative impact of following the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Destruction of Iraq. Devastating hurricanes. The Pelosi/Trump vitriol. Oxycontin. Vaping. Catholic clergy abuses. The list is endless.
My brother Mike, who is immensely smart and wise (there’s a difference, you know), said something to me long ago that really stuck with me. He was referencing the types of movies his family watches and said, “Garbage in, garbage out.”
I’m going to consciously let less garbage in. I suspect that means less “news” and generally less information coming my way. Maybe I need to scale down my civic-mindedness and instead deliberately seek out more positivity and consciously be more grateful.
Sounds like a plan. Wish me success—the mail carrier just delivered today’s stack of magazines.
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