This post is part of "An A to Z for Success". See the side panel on the right for an index.
Previously, we talked about the importance of keeping our mind open. It is equally important to take care over what we keep it open to. Not everything that clamours to get in is helpful.
At school, I was taught that the word NEWS meant "everything new from the North, East, West and South". The inclusion of all four primary points of the compass was meant to indicate a balanced and comprehensive viewpoint. The strong implication was that keeping abreast of the NEWS is essential for an intelligent mind. Well, based on the news here in England, nothing much ever happens in the whole of South America ... and Australia is just a cricket team that keeps beating us. Is that a comprehensive, balanced viewpoint?
Joking aside, there is a serious hazzard posed by the constant bombardment of NEWS. Cynics quip that CNN (the most tuned-into channel in the world) stands for Constant Negative News. On news media the world over, headlines are monopolised by what is shocking, horrific, shameful, sensational... the NEWS is a serious pollution of our minds by Negative Energy Widely Spread.
Of course, you knew that, but pause to reflect on the effect it must have. A diet of scary headlines nourishes only negativity and fear. And gradually, it numbs us into indifference. What's the point in even hoping for improvement if everywhere we turn the message is, "There's danger out there ... times are bad ... there's no escape from the latest flu epidemic ... either that, or some other threat awaits us at every corner ..."
There is a strong case for going on a diet when it comes to the NEWS. You probably already do this when you go on holiday, especially if you go to a place where all the NEWS is in a foreign language. Doesn't it feel wonderfully free to be on holiday? Isn't freedom from the NEWS a factor in that feeling?
Of course, we need an idea of what's going on in the world around us, but being more selective and abstemious over what we allow our minds to be exposed to is no barrier to that. Personally, I have found that though I largely ignore commercial news media, I am no less well-informed. The things I really need to know have a tendency to become known. It's as if shutting out the NEWS allows space for a sixth sense that picks up what is actually obscured by a choking smoke-screen of constant negativity in the NEWS.
Remember, "No news is good news!"
The point here is to sidestep the blocking effects of a negative environment, as we strive to succeed in our chosen aims. The NEWS is just one demon to be wary of. There is also, of course, advertising. Today alone, I overheard three conversations in which someone quoted an advertising slogan as if it was an unquestionable fact. A useful slogan to remember might be, "Say NO to negativity!" It surrounds us in many forms, some more of which we will be taking a look at later in the series.
This post is part of "An A to Z for Success". See the side panel on the right for an index.
Previously, we talked about the importance of keeping our mind open. It is equally important to take care over what we keep it open to. Not everything that clamours to get in is helpful.
At school, I was taught that the word NEWS meant "everything new from the North, East, West and South". The inclusion of all four primary points of the compass was meant to indicate a balanced and comprehensive viewpoint. The strong implication was that keeping abreast of the NEWS is essential for an intelligent mind. Well, based on the news here in England, nothing much ever happens in the whole of South America ... and Australia is just a cricket team that keeps beating us. Is that a comprehensive, balanced viewpoint?
Joking aside, there is a serious hazzard posed by the constant bombardment of NEWS. Cynics quip that CNN (the most tuned-into channel in the world) stands for Constant Negative News. On news media the world over, headlines are monopolised by what is shocking, horrific, shameful, sensational... the NEWS is a serious pollution of our minds by Negative Energy Widely Spread.
Of course, you knew that, but pause to reflect on the effect it must have. A diet of scary headlines nourishes only negativity and fear. And gradually, it numbs us into indifference. What's the point in even hoping for improvement if everywhere we turn the message is, "There's danger out there ... times are bad ... there's no escape from the latest flu epidemic ... either that, or some other threat awaits us at every corner ..."
There is a strong case for going on a diet when it comes to the NEWS. You probably already do this when you go on holiday, especially if you go to a place where all the NEWS is in a foreign language. Doesn't it feel wonderfully free to be on holiday? Isn't freedom from the NEWS a factor in that feeling?
Of course, we need an idea of what's going on in the world around us, but being more selective and abstemious over what we allow our minds to be exposed to is no barrier to that. Personally, I have found that though I largely ignore commercial news media, I am no less well-informed. The things I really need to know have a tendency to become known. It's as if shutting out the NEWS allows space for a sixth sense that picks up what is actually obscured by a choking smoke-screen of constant negativity in the NEWS.
Remember, "No news is good news!"
*****
The point here is to sidestep the blocking effects of a negative environment, as we strive to succeed in our chosen aims. The NEWS is just one demon to be wary of. There is also, of course, advertising. Today alone, I overheard three conversations in which someone quoted an advertising slogan as if it was an unquestionable fact. A useful slogan to remember might be, "Say NO to negativity!" It surrounds us in many forms, some more of which we will be taking a look at later in the series.
This post is part of "An A to Z for Success". See the side panel on the right for an index.