I heard someone else describe what they were doing as a “news fast.” That’s pretty much what I have been doing since mid-October 2016, and I am very pleased with the results. I seem much more able to focus on what is important to me and on things I can actually do.
It isn’t that I am not interested in what is going on, whether it is my neighborhood, the country or the world. I am very interested and want to be aware of what is happening, at least as much as I can be. However, I came to the decision that the “news” I was getting from radio MPR and from the newspaper was not shaped by an interest in informing me as much as it was an attempt to keep my attention. I abandoned TV news a long time ago.
The BBC came closest to reporting some real aspect of what was actually going on. All the other sources of news were doing their best to lure my attention with images that evolved from someone’s creative imagination. I have always realized that some part of the news was created or at least inaccurate. Now the imaginary aspect simply became dominant.
The news had come to excite me, not enlighten me. It offered me little chance to have an effect. So I have been ignoring the “news”. My daily life is not only OK, I think it is better.
I am now better able to focus on doing things that will have a real effect, maybe bring about a small change in my world. Even though the headlines tell me enough about what is happening, I hardly ever fret about how to stem the national tide of hatred and injustice. I’ve decided to spend my emotional energy getting excited about changes I can actually bring about. I sometimes think about the big causes, but I try to focus on the local ones.
This Friday, I’m helping a group of people who are serving a meal to hungry guests of Loaves and Fishes. Also, I promote the sexual health of young people by helping out the Annex Teen Clinic where I can. I am determined to be a refuge for my companions, especially the members of the Blooming Heart Sangha. I attempt to establish an open-hearted, loving relationship with my friends and with many people I meet.
I will focus on being a gardener and a messenger of the wonders all around me. I will build a loving community by gardening and by encouraging other gardeners. I think most of the problems in the “news” will be taken care of eventually if I do my best to take care of the world closest to me.