“Do not let the behavior 
of others destroy 
your inner peace.”
Dalai Lama

For many years, I was a news junkie. Upon waking up in the morning, I’d turn on the television to check the local news, just to see if I’d missed something through the night. I’d listen to KCBS news radio in the car on my morning and afternoon commutes. When I arrived home, I’d turn on the television to watch the evening news. Finally, before heading off to bed, I’d check out the first ten or fifteen minutes of either the 10:00 or 11:00 news. Once I was certain that I was adequately informed of the events of the day, I could get a good night’s sleep. I had an insatiable need to know what was happening in the world. 

Times have changed. Our country has changed. Our world has changed. So, too, has my desire to know what’s happening in the world.

No longer do I check the morning news. Now I listen to CDs of my favorite musical artists while driving in my car. I do still, occasionally, tune in to the evening news, but I’m usually reminded of why I don’t want to watch it. Both local and national newscasts are dominated by negativity: murders, corruption, thuggery, racism, hatred, war, political conflicts, health warnings, and the apparent decline of morality and integrity in our world. These are the stories of interest. These are the stories that bring in big advertising dollars. These are the stories our society and the media consider newsworthy.

In one way, this is good news. If what qualifies as newsworthy is that which is not normal, that which one would consider unusual, then the consistently negative news stories would be proof that the world is still a basically good place, but with a presence of evil. This has always been my viewpoint, and my hope. Lately, however, I’ve begun to question this mindset. This, more than anything, upsets me.

So how do I employ the advice of the Dalai Lama and not let the behavior of others destroy my inner peace? I swim in my own lane. I avoid watching or listening to traditional network newscasts. I’ve adopted the mindset that if it’s out of my control, it’s not worth worrying about. I realize that this is not the ideal response to the myriad crises in our world today, but it seems to be serving me well. I don’t want to know how many shootings took place in Oakland last night. I don’t want to know about how the Church has been protecting pedophile priests. I don’t want to know that another group of thugs wearing hoodies stormed into a high-end department store and ran away with thousands of dollars in merchandise. I don’t want to be reminded of the decline in morality and integrity in our world.

To avoid finding myself ignorant of current events, I prefer to peruse trusted online news sources such as 1440. In short order, I am able to get a sense of what’s happening in our country and the world without being subjected to the theater of network news.

This strategy of strategic consumption is not a solution to resolving any of the issues of our day. It is, rather, a coping mechanism — a form of self-care. It’s not a denial of the realities of our day, it’s a decision to not allow those realities to interfere with my inner peace. The strategy seems to be serving me well.

I’ll end today with the wise words of a television news journalist, who happens to be my high school classmate and friend, Steve Aveson: 

“We’d be in truly dire straits
if births, weddings and anniversaries
made up the half hour of nightly news.”