Ignoring the news

Ignoring the news
HUMMING IN MY UNIVERSE By Jim Paredes (The Philippine Star) | Updated July 6, 2014 – 12:00am

You most likely watch the news on TV, read the newspapers or scour the Internet for the latest events everywhere. Every day, there is something new. And every day, there are things that move, rattle, anger, frustrate, inspire, thrill and rivet us. There are endless stories playing out that are picked up by the news agencies everywhere. It’s a 24/7 thing.

Almost everyone I know on social media can get riled up about this and that and about every hot issue they read or hear about. Everyone has an opinion on everything: PDAF, DAP, corrupt senators and officials, tragedies, disasters, scandals, China, etc., are the current hot topics.

It can get tiring. It’s like a daily ritual. Emotions predictably rise and fall with every hot news item.

But one might argue that news at least keeps people preoccupied with something. They are engaged. What people read either resonates with them, or challenges their view of the world and the values they hold dear. And that, believe it or not, is something that makes them feel alive.

And people behind the news know this. Notice how they deliver news on primetime television complete with music that gives you a certain adrenalin rush, while reporters deliver the content in a hyperactive manner, like the studio itself was burning down.

But there are some days when I do not want to read or watch the news. I detach myself and deliberately ignore media’s power to move me, manipulate and control me. I just feel that too much negativity is not something I want in daily doses. I am convinced there are infinitely more things happening in the world than just bad news, or big colossal events.

I wish people covering the news would notice the glorious sunsets we have been having lately. Isn’t that newsworthy?

Or how come we see so much more news about random killings and violence than acts of simple kindness, generosity and honesty? Sure, there are occasional reports of honest taxi drivers who return money left by careless passengers inside their cabs. I just wish there were so much more of the good stuff to watch or read about.

I admit that I, too, can get seduced by the frenzy of emotions that news and issues instigate. But I am starting to tire of the game, the cycle. I am tired of people endlessly complaining online, of media wailing their sirens at every chance, and commentators on radio expressing indignation, anger (often feigned) over every current issue.

While these may be important, it is equally important, perhaps even more so, that we do not lose our balance as human beings. By this I mean the knee-jerk customary ranting must at times be held in abeyance and maybe not even posted. Another toxic rant is the last thing we need. Perhaps more thought and calm objectivity would help make the world a slightly more livable and kinder place.

The other day, I suddenly found myself in a serene state of peace and completeness. I felt calm. I did not desire nor wish for anything at all. It was so liberating. This happens to me occasionally.

At that moment I had no compulsion to correct or control outcomes, events, people, or anything. I simply “allowed” the world to do as it pleased and I could not care less nor be moved one way or the other. I felt like a solid mountain, steady and unfazed even if the rest of the world was seemingly undergoing tectonic movements. I felt steady, unperturbed and unshaken.

I felt momentarily freed from the shrill call of “duty,” of being someone on a self-imposed mission to try and save the world by fighting along the side of “good” versus “bad.” I felt aloof and above the fray.

That night, I watched the news and felt deaf to its siren call to be concerned, worried, angry, amused, etc. I felt immune to the negativity and the hype playing out on the screen. I felt freed from the bondage of indignation.

I felt my balance restored at least for the moment. I stared at the gore, the scandals and the negativity. The anger, cynicism I usually entertained mentally when the “bad” guys would appear was nowhere.

I turned the TV off.

I smiled and knew there were more things happening in this world to pay attention to.