Or watch the news. There, I said it. It’s so depressing. All these problems. As if I don’t have problems of my own. Hunger, corruption, calamities…the list goes on.
And guess what, even if I stop watching, the news finds its way to me. Last week my sister called to say that life in the US is not so “good” anymore. Gas price is too high and she’s thinking of getting a job closer to home. I feel, as I have often and with good enough reason felt in my life, chastened by my own indifference.
I stopped watching the news three years ago when that awful documentary about children dying of malnutrition in some parts of the Philippines. I was so sickened and devastated that the government hadn’t done anything about it. Children dying without tasting milk and anything nutritious for that matter. I cried for two whole weeks which made me depressed and sickly. It was a good thing I eventually snapped out of it. Thanks to that I came back jaded and indifferent.
But many times I had to switch it back on because I found myself just shutting up when in a group of people with nothing better to talk about except current events. But I always turned it off again when the conversation moved onto a topic I knew something about. I mastered the trick of on and off.
Nowadays, when the media are doing an awesome job of covering and delivering the news, I don’t pay that much attention. I listen but I don’t watch. I surf the net while the news is on. Or I wash the dishes while the TV’s volume is on high. I’m like a kid pretending to listen to the teacher blabbering on and on.
I don’t know if this is a good thing. Pretending not to care. Because that doesn’t help me with my guilt at ignoring the news. I guess I still care about the news. I just don’t want it on a daily basis.
photo: news by magnusmagnus
I used to read news everyday even either online or newspaper even though news most of the time really sucks! But what can we do? A news can’t be a news if it doesn’t shock readers, a news is not a news if it’s not horrible and alarming. But sometimes it’s nice to read some interesting news like discovery, something that we didn’t know yet.
unfortunately we can’t escape it…i know…it’s always so depressing…and if you think the Philippines is worse…there are other countries that are experiencing a greater depression than we are….
ah the facts of life…we just can’t escape it…
i guess it’s time to get a japanese car, what with the increasing gas prices..
Oh I do agree with that! Actually, it’s already Tuesday, and the Sunday’s paper was still outside, sitting, un-browsed! With all the calamities, prices going up, killings, and all that, it’s really stressing the heck out of anyone who would read it.
I feel you. The dailies and the evening news makes me depressed. I had to stay away from it just to keep myself from thinking that life is so f*ed up nowadays. *sigh* Great post by the way.
You are not pretending not to care, because deep down you care too much…and that is why the news is so hard to cope with daily…I know, I am the same way.
this is so true. its like a world dilemma. theres no escaping. im here in the US but ive got filipino channel so i am still updaetd with political and economic issues Philippines is facing right now. and it’s so sad that i dont wanna dwell on it anymore.
Call me masochistic but I watch the news thrice a day. As if something will change in this country hehe…
By the way, too bad about this afternoon. Had to take Hazel to the hospital again because of her allergies.
I work in the news business, so I’m forced to watch and read it every day. I find that I vacillate between being jaded and not caring, to being overwhelmed and despondent at the widespread misery in the world. But then I think about the fact that what is reported is only perhaps one-thousandth of one percent of what is really happening out there in the world, and there is so much good happening that will never be covered by a news camera - but it means just as much, or even more.
sport section only and throw it away
Sad are the news and yet they reminds us to be grateful for the people around us and for what we have. They also remind us to be compassion and to practice loving kindness not only to people but also to all other living things.
i dont read or listen either. its always about what you said or war.
the world is getting worse, and the governments are too. shame theres no-one above the governments you might say to kick em into shape.
the trouble’s that here in manila, bad news is good news, and good news is no news.. and they even teach that in college journalism.
find it a bit odd that now that i have kids, i too have stopped reading/watching dreadfull news especially about hunger and abuse.
i thinks as mothers, we try to “escape” this reality. but there’s a flicker of hope for us. compared to other depressed countries, we seem to be luckier, i suppose.
as usual, very interesting read from you… let me show my appreciation by giving you something from my site. do check it out, ok?
so totally agree with you on this one!