Why bother?

After a long walk downtown, I was tired and took the bus home. Sitting behind two young women I overheard this snippet of conversation:

"I find the news so depressing. I don't read it anymore." 
"Me too, it's always the same bad news over and over. It just stresses me out."

News stories are overwhelmingly about things we have no influence over and more often than not, have little to do with our personal reality. No one is waiting for our opinion about this or that problem or is counting on us to solve anything.

When we are preoccupied with our own personal worries or over-busy with our family, friends and work, staying on top of the news feels like one more obligation.

Even trying to understand the many points of view on a particular topic can be daunting.

From global economic, environmental and geopolitical problems such as:

• Fiscal, food and water crisis
• Climate change and extreme weather
• Profound political and social instability

To problems that might feel closer to home such as:

• Unemployment
• Precarious job situations and mounting debt
• Chronic physical and mental health problems

The news does seem catastrophic and depressing. 

So why bother?
In our home, news reigned supreme. My father had been a journalist for six years with The Winnipeg Tribune. It was a personal responsibility to be informed, to get the facts and to learn about the world.  But at a deeper level, the value of the news was to be aware of the pain and suffering of others.

The news offer these additional benefits:

• Strengthens our own sense of gratitude for what we have 
  
• Provides perspective on our own difficult circumstances
  
• Lets those who suffer know they are not alone
  
• Develops our capacity for empathy

What is your opinion about the news? 

Read on,
Coach Minda