How To Receive News?

I seldom watch TV these days as most of the time watching news is a disturbing experience, especially news on weekends which normally include car accidents, domestic violence and some sort of tragedies.

Since most of the news we receive these days are negative, it’s very easy to develop depression, pessimism or anger if we don’t apply a method in receiving news. As we watched the news recently about the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, some of us were caught up in the horror and anguish part of the disaster and quickly pointed fingers to politicians to blame.

We listen. We watch. We judge. We act. This is the process for some people. In this process, by the time we reached the stage of ‘act’, it is usually criticism and accusations. As a result, we feel angry and helpless.

Does the above process have to be the only process? I don’t believe so. To me, one important aspect is missing. A better process would be: We listen. We watch. We feel. We act.

It is when we feel that we redirect our emotion and energy to connect to the pain of victims. This connection enables us to emerge as more compassionate beings without getting dragged down into hopelessness and anguish.

The world has been and will continue to suffer natural calamities. No religion or politicians can avoid or eliminate them. Yes if only politicians did this and that the damage could have been less dramatic; the point is, however, we cannot place the entire blame on politicians or those who are directly responsible for various situation; we too must bear some responsibility personally. A positive act we can do in this kind of situation is to think positively about what we can personally do to alleviate the pain. Shouting and complaining is not good enough. If we replace the process of judge with feel when we listen and watch the bad news, we will become mindful of our emotions. We will pass the initial wave of horror and anger and develop a calm mind. Without a calm mind, a doctor can’t perform a surgery. It’s the same with us. A calm mind is the start to positive attitudes and actions. How positive can one be in the face of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina?

While action is a personal thing, there are many things you can do. You can pray or meditate to send love thoughts to the victims. You can raise relieving funds or donate money. You can write a letter to the President, the Mayor or the victims to express your concern, sympathy, support or praise. You may wish to adopt an orphan who lost his parents from this disaster. You may use the news as a reminder to yourself that life is so fragile and short that you must love you family, friends and community in every possible way… When you think about all these positive actions you can engage yourself in, all of which will make a difference to this world, you will not just sit there and point fingers or blame as they are futile actions.

Compassion is different from weakness. It is using our kindness to raise positive thoughts and feelings which give rise to hope, courage, determination and inner strength. It is a pathway to peace and an indispensable requirement for humanity.