News that Lifts Your Spirit

It has been over 10 years since I quit watching the nightly news. I did so deliberately. Simply put, it was more than I could take. I’d find myself depressed after hearing stories of children being kidnapped and tortured, tsunamis wiping out entire villages, crazy men with guns going on a rampage and the like. When my mind was being filled with that kind of news on a constant basis it gave me a grim outlook on life.

I’m not totally uninformed, mind you. I do hear the news stories on the radio (somehow it’s easier to hear them than see them), and of course there is Facebook. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen breaking news hit Facebook almost faster than it hits the local news websites (which where I go to check out the Facebook scoops.) So, I’m not uninformed, I’m just probably not as informed as say, my husband, who is a news junkie.

The other issue I have with the news is that I believe it incites copycat behavior. It’s the old input/output thing. When you fill your mind with bad, bad is most likely to come out. When you fill your mind with good, good is most likely to come out. Call me naïve but that’s what I believe. (Rhyming unintended.)

So, I’ve come up with what I believe to be a million dollar idea. And, because I can’t do everything myself, I’m offering it free to any producer that would like to run with it. Why not have a news program filled with news that lifts your spirits? It could focus on stories such as a church group traveling to Haiti to help victims of the earthquake; or kids taking their Saturday to paint a house for an elderly couple in need; or someone getting a group together to pack care packages for our soldiers. The list could go on and on. There are tons of people doing some incredibly amazing things; many of which go unnoticed.

This type of program would obviously not be free of news about bad things. It would be hard to show people caring for those devastated by the recent bombing/shootings in Norway without mentioning the incident. But that’s all it would have to be – a mention. Most people will already have heard about it and if they need more information on a situation all they need to do is tune into ABC, CBS, NBC, or FOX and they can get their fill.

I recognize that most every news show has a segment of two of “uplifting news” but it’s not enough; and by the time they show it, most people have fallen asleep, or moved onto other things. What we need is a program that will incite copycat behavior of the best kind. Give people ideas. Tell them how to hook up with a group to help. Promote kindness.

There you have it. These are the kinds of ideas that pop into my brain on a regular basis and try to tempt me into “doing it all” thereby leaving me exhausted and my family ignored. I’ll let you know when another idea comes up. In the meantime, someone run with this idea – please!