I don’t read the news for two reasons:
The news doesn’t affect me. When was the last time your favorite major news network reported on something that directly affected your life? As a general rule, if I need a reporter to tell me about it, that probably means I never needed to know in the first place. Reading about the tornadoes in the Midwest? That probably means I’m not close enough for it to matter. Reading an article on the price of tea in China? I don’t even drink tea. The events and news that do affect me reach me through other channels; my family, friends, business associates and mentors.
I don’t affect the news. Almost every story reported by national news networks is a story which I cannot personally affect. Stories of tragedy, suffering and death are stories of past events, things over which we have no control. By taking in a regular diet of violence and pain, but having no way to act, we grow callous to the suffering of our fellow human beings. Because we know “it happens every day”, we are less likely to reach out and make a difference in the places where we do have influence.
This isn’t an original idea: many of the world’s most creative people avoid the news. Here are some other great reasons why you should put down the paper, ironically published by a major news network. Thanks for reading!