First Week

I have been avoiding the news for the past week. I am working on only allowing myself to hear things first hand. Things that have happened to actual people I know, friends of theirs or regular folks like myself. My effort to run for Congress aside, I am pretty darned average. The wreck that I had become was not even apparent to me a week ago. The absurdity of the "news" struck me full force when I heard about a recent tragedy involving nearly 100 dead from this or that three times in my hour-long commute. Now, many may say that an hour commute is not "common" or "regular", but in my defense, I only have to take these faraway jobs occasionally. Frequently, I work closer tot home. My feelings about hearing about the tragic disruption of those hundred or so lives, their families, loved ones and friends, were so complex and meaningful to me, that those lives will not be lost in vain. I have always known that by repeating the nightly litany of traumas, it magnifies them, making the whole world look as if it is populated with the criminally accident prone, grotesque haters, vehement disruptors, vile lunatics, bent on hurting others, poisoning their waterways, selling off the groundwater, draining the lakes. Oh, and unsafe houses and weather.

My reaction of horror was, as most compassionate people would experience, one of wishing I could help. The adrenaline started pumping and I wanted to fight, or flee. Neither option was available to me. When I meet people who are the news, instead of watching "it", things work much, much better. First, literally billions of amazing and excellent things are taking place at any particular moment on our planet, 99.99% of which will never make the nightly news. Today, a friend from Louisville sent a video of children in their neighborhood who have been cutting lawns just to benefit the community. They only take donations of tools and equipment through Go Fund Me.

In my new reality, I am hearing dozens of great stories each day, things actual people have done and for the most part, they are kind, selfless and helpful things, again something the news does not want you to hear. If you got inspired, who knows what you might create! The scary and tragic have played their central roles long enough. Keeping the population alone and afraid, sequestered in their houses watching the outside world through the eyes of their tee vee has to end. We have given in to the terrorists the moment we forsake our own communities. There is a whole wide and on balance great world out there, let's go explore it together!