Bad News Everywhere!!!

MindGate

Caring sucks. I see why most of the world doesn't care about things beyond their little humdrum lives. Turn on the news and nothing but bad things are happening. There's a news show on the internet that I watch. Top stories for the past couple of days:

NYC Fire Dept. Sued
Threesome Turns Deadly
People Arrested for Fraud in Florida
Perry and Bachmann Hold Radical Religious Ties?
BART Shuts Down Phone Service in LA to Stop Protests
Lifeguard Fired for Frivolous Reason
Life Sentence for Drug Possession?
Cops Shoot Dog in Wrongful Raid
Wall Street Crimes Covered Up?
Students Working for Hershey Exploited
Goldman Sachs Government Corruption
- And then there's the UK riots.
And people being arrested for planning LEGAL protests.
People being arrested for having squirtgun battles.
People being arrested for ANYTHING.
Hell, I even read on here that a woman was arrested for simply helping a wheelchair bound woman.

Its like the world is out to get you. Out to get me. I can't stand it. Maybe I should stop caring? Stop watching the news? Stop worrying about the outside world? I can't do that. That's a big part of me. Its just recently I've been thinking like everything just sucks and the entire world is out to ruin my life eventually.

:banghead:

Mr_Serenity

I don't watch the news. I only visit abovetopsecret.com every other day for the big scoops on major things going on in the world. I feel spending 30 minutes or one hour out of my day to watch the news brings too much negative energy to me. It's just not my thing. It tends to be mostly depressing. If something big happens, I'll hear of it, maybe then I'll watch the news.

not1not2

you see what you want to see

dharma

You should stop watching the news or at least reduced it to a bare minimum.
Horrifying stories with action sell. It gets people's attention. Many good things happening in the world is less likely to get the same attention on the news.

I stopped watching news channel on TV for a while. But sometimes I happen to sit next to the TV while someone else is watching the news channel, I can't bear all the negativity being aired one after another, someone murdered, shooting, bombing, brutality, disaster here, disaster there.

If you wanted to improve things, maybe pick one area that is close to your heart and take action. You can't solve all the problems in the world.

If more people keep the 5 precepts, then many of the problems in society would decrease.

Mountains

Yeah, quit watching the news.

aura

Turn on the news and nothing but bad things are happening.

There are beautiful wonderful people around you doing beautiful wonderful things every day, but it doesn't make headlines because it doesn't sell newspapers/airtime/advertising space. Fear on the other hand makes people look up and react, and that sells big time. Fear sells both the news and the advertising and the drugs being marketed to you: "worried? depressed? ask your doctor if $%*&bigpharma is right for you!"
Look around your neighborhood, your community, and find something worth building, joining, working on.... and BE the news.
And when they tell you you're on in 3, don't look directly into the camera, but just slightly off to the side of it; you'll be framed better that way.

MindGate

@dharma

The social spectrum of politics/human rights. But that's a pretty big area, dontcha think?

taiyaki

so what is all this pointing to?

there is suffering outside.
there is suffering inside.

most of us run away. buddhism is telling us to face suffering directly.

the buddha did it and so can you.

DaltheJigsaw

Yea, but there is good everywhere too!:)

dharma

@dharma

The social spectrum of politics/human rights. But that's a pretty big area, dontcha think?

I would say that there are various human rights issue issue, such as gender, health, minority, etc...If it is possible to narrow it down to a specific issue to make a difference then it is better than juggling countless issues.

If each person ( or a lot) do that ( or keep the precepts) than many issues can have more chances of improving.

It is easy to get burn out if you try to take on a lot of issue one after another.

DaltheJigsaw

Turn on the news and nothing but bad things are happening.

There are beautiful wonderful people around you doing beautiful wonderful things every day, but it doesn't make headlines because it doesn't sell newspapers/airtime/advertising space. Fear on the other hand makes people look up and react, and that sells big time. Fear sells both the news and the advertising and the drugs being marketed to you: "worried? depressed? ask your doctor if $%*&bigpharma is right for you!"
Look around your neighborhood, your community, and find something worth building, joining, working on.... and BE the news.
And when they tell you you're on in 3, don't look directly into the camera, but just slightly off to the side of it; you'll be framed better that way.

Exactly!:) Beautiful!

Spaceless

Venerables urge that practitioners have to develop the compassionate, lovely and blissful heart/mind. In order to achieve it, it is wise for some to refrain from encountering undesirable news, if you have yet to reach a level of complacency in all undesirable situation that may occur. Constantly showering yourself with dharma lectures / articles, and meditation of metta will be helpful.

Cinorjer

OK, it's not that only bad things are happening. It's that the news tends to report only the bad things. And no, that's not the fault of the news corporations. It's human nature. We want to be warned about the dangers out there and problems we might have to deal with, after all.

But yes, your point that compassion sucks when you're surrounded by hurting people holds true. The price you pay for caring about people is that you hurt along with them. So we do what we can while not being able to do very much at all as an individual.

Wht's the alternative? Do you want to become one of those selfish, greedy people who don't care about anyone else? The world has enough of them, I think, and they suffer just as much as anyone. Only they tend to suffer alone.

thejoieanna

If you wanted to improve things, maybe pick one area that is close to your heart and take action. You can't solve all the problems in the world.

This is a very strong piece of advice. I live by the motto if you have enough energy to get upset about it then you have enough to change it. Don't waste your time thinking about all the negatives.

Like Cinorjer said it's part of the news to only report the bad things, you won't find many good news stories because in this world full of negative people that is the only kind of energy they can take after a while.

Reduce the amount of news that you take in. It hurts but being loving means that you will hurt when other's hurt.

But don't be afraid to make change

riverflow

Bear in mind also that there is greater ease of news coverage in the 21st century world of the internet-- much of the suffering we see today has always been around-- the difference being that we can now know of things more quickly and easily, even from the average joe's iPhone video. But it can give a skewered perspective on the world. Add to the fact that, yeah, its all about ratings and, quite frankly, bad news sells.

Personally, I avoid MOST news these days because of how it can distort one's perception, and therefore easily lead to despair because it can become so overwhelming.

Life is, after all, dukkha. And as bodhisattvas-in-training, the first of the four vows is to alleviate it, in whatever way possible.

http://buddhism.about.com/od/mahayanabuddhism/a/bodhisattva-vows.htm

Dakini

People being arrested for ANYTHING.
Hell, I even read on here that a woman was arrested for simply helping a wheelchair bound woman.
:banghead:

Hey, do you recognize that story? That woman's friend posted on our forum a couple of weeks ago! On the thread "Compassion Backfires!!!!!" The charges against the good samaritan woman were dropped pretty quickly.

Have you seen "YES!" magazine, MG? It's a magazine devoted exclusively to GOOD news! People doing good things in the world, doing projects that work, and that help made the world a better place. The mainstream media focuses on bad news because they (the media) live on sensationalism. So it provides a skewed view of life.

And if all the bad news gets you down, look around for an organization you can volunteer with that's Doing Good Stuff. So you can feel like you're helping turn the tide, in your own small way. That's important. You won't feel so helpless, then.

Hey, nobody said the world wasn't samsaric.

wondering

There are "good things" that people do everyday that goes unnoticed. This is true. Being aware of the current events in the world is a part of skillful means. At the current time there are many issues that aware people would be concerned about. The many wars being fought and the many innocent people being killed in the process. The middle class is disappearing and the mega wealthy make our governments, and live with health care, endless education, plenty of food, and too much of everything else, and pay a lower tax rate than the average struggling person. Unemployment is higher than its been sense the great depression. The gap between the rich and poor is staggering. There are people going hungry and dying all over the world because of this inequality and the environmental impact of corporations running rough shod over the delicate natural balance of nature. There is nuclear pollutants being released into the atmosphere from Japan, and diseases that are gaining strength daily to sicken and kill people and animals. It seems that some Buddhists just want to feel good, and ignore the current problems that we all face as human beings. This is the Ostrich version of practice. Eventually and most likely very soon, the news that is mentioned above will reach every one who is reading this. Why tell someone to ignore the facts? We have to begin to act now on all these issues or we are heading into a perilous time. Buddhism teaches us to be awake and aware of our surroundings. It doesn't take watching the news, or the listening/reading of shock jocks to understand that we have lost control of governing ourselves and participating in a healthy and beneficial culture. If we hide our heads in the sand long enough, we we look up and the world will run us over. Being awake and aware helps us prevent this. It seems most of the responses to the OP has been to ignore these real problems. How can that be "Buddhist". It sounds like an "All I wanna do is have some fun," philosophy.

SimpleWitness

Where there is a turning wheel, there is a hub. Be the hub.

ajnast4r

i used to watch & read the news often... on tv, online, on the radio. i would guess i totaled 1-2 hours per day average between the all.

that being said, one of the best things ive ever done for my emotional well being was to stop watching the news. now i watch maybe 30 mins per week just to keep up with current events.

i think the key is to remember they are airing these negative stories on purpose, because that is what the sickened mind finds to be attractive and entertaining. it is not, imo, conducive to maintaining a positive state of mind to be constantly bombarded with severe negativity.

StaticToybox

Whole world's got problems, and you can't solve them. So don't stress out about it. Deal with your own problems. Then help your neighbor with his if you can. If everyone managed this there wouldn't be much bad news.

ThailandTom

The newz is a tool, but also for some reason the human nature seems to crave attaching to negative things, we crave to see these things even if we do not realize it.
As Static stated, the world has many problems, it always has and will continue to. We can do those little things in life to help others who suffer, but sitting your ass infront of the news doesn't really help anyone apart from capitalism.

Goff even said in a very depressive manner not long ago that after the many millions raised by band aid and live aid, turn on your TV and see if he changed the world, he said no.