How To Watch The News

For about 3 years I decided I was not going to watch or read the news. All that I ever saw was negative. The fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan was continuous and never ending. Serial rapists, snipers, and murders were plastered all over the papers and TV. Why do I need to expose myself to all this negative energy it made me so upset? I decided it was needless torment. When my friends and coworkers would ask me if I had heard about something in the news I always responded no I hadn't heard. They were flabbergasted that I was so in denial about what was happening in our world. Everyone would feel the need to tell me about how important it is to know about what is going on in the world around me. I said why would I want to waste time within my day feeling sadness, sorrow, fear, and anger at the outside world around me. Most of the responses would be but there are good things in the news too. I knew this to be true to but I wasn't going to waste my time waiting to the end of a 30 minute news cast to hear about the local children who rallied around to help the elderly in the neighborhood. I chose to just not do it.
As time went on I met my current partner and in the time we have been together the news started to become a daily activity. It would come on in the morning and again in the evening. The paper started being delivered every Saturday morning as well. Soon I started to realize how distraught and angry I was becoming at the politicians in my state and community. I was constantly feeling anger and fear about the world around me. Yes, I thought my friends were right it is important to know what is going on around me. There is so much I have missed and our world is going down hill right before my eyes. I was breaking my own rules and allowing the worlds problems to consume me.
Then one day I went to lunch with an old friend. I started talking to her about the corruptness in our politics and what was going on in the world right before our eyes. She was shocked. I never watch the news she said I had no idea.
::DING::
::DING::
::DING::!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could not believe what I was hearing. I used to be the same way. When I didn't watch the news or read the paper I was a much happier person. I may have not known what was going on around me but I never let little things bother me as much as I do now. I decided that there needs to be a healthy balance. I need to learn to face our world with compassion.
I have a strong philosophy in life. I believe that everything happens for a reason and is in perfect divine order. If I believe this how can I be angered or fearful of what is happening around me? If everything truly is in divine order then I need to be able to look at our sometimes dark and corrupt world with complete detachment and compassion. Compassion does not mean I need to "feel" the pains of the world. Or take the pains of the world on physically within my being. It means to be able to have a deep awareness of the suffering of another without the need to relieve it. It means being able to have a total appreciation for its value in the divine plan. It means being in a complete state of non-judgement.
Now when the news is on I do not pay too much attention to it but when I happen to get a glimpse of someone murdered and they are interviewing their family I send out love to them and pray for their guidance and freedom of pain. I do not feel the need to pass judgement on any of the story or situation and I do not take on their pain and suffering and became angry at the world. I fully understand that the energy I feel is sent out into the world. If I am feeling anger it adds to the anger that is already in the world but if I am feeling light it brings this world closer to feeling love.
If you would like to learn how to watch the news without adding to the weight of our world, watch it with compassion and continue to shine your inner light bright!