I walked into the hall the other day when my dad was watching the news. I’ve been consciously trying to catch up with everything happening worldwide to improve my general understanding of the world. But every time I start watching TV, I have long debates with my dad and eventually walk away in disappointment. Not because the debate gets ugly, but because eventually, we conclude that the world is a nasty place to live in.
One bad thing after another. But is that all there is to the world? If the TV is your window to learn about the rest of the world, the media are the stains on the window. You end up seeing a world smudged in darkness. It’s all a big propaganda – a narrative that is being controlled by the media to show you what they want you to see. Would you be surprised if I told you that bad news sells more than good news? Probably not. It’s a fact.
Murders, communal violence, religious violence, ISIS, China-Taiwan, India-Pakistan, dirty politics, and disasters. You name it. From a woman being beaten, because she accidentally stepped on a political party flag to infiltrating the privacy of a mourning family whose child committed suicide, every story leaves you feeling unsettled and scared. To what end can you keep bombarding your brain with this information? I wonder.
Not everything you see is real
Manipulation and deceptiveness seem to be the new virtue of the world. It starts with something as simple as editing a photo to look fair & slim to something as powerful as controlling the news. Free speech is a fundamental law of the world. But much of this free speech is dipped in a sauce of hate and suspicion. Even members of the government that lead the country, dissolve into acrimony that affects the growth of the entire country.
Perhaps, the media is not to blame entirely. Maybe bad news is being sold like this because we are consuming it meteorically. The greater the demand, the more production. And new channels know this. They study the habits of humans to determine how to market and increase their views. Their entire revenue thrives on consumeristic patterns – so much so that they try to bring out the ugly twist to any story without considering its side effects.
The information we consume has such a powerful impact on the way we see the world. Fill yourself up with bad news and you will watch everyone with the eye of suspicion. Even if someone does you a favor, you will double-guess his intentions to think he has an ulterior motive.
What can we change?
The spectacles we wear to see the world needs to change. We need to start consuming more good news and listening to triumph stories. We need to read more victories. The successful life of rehab patients should be made more aware. There should be more transparency in leadership roles to inspire the next generation of students. The media should start showing news without a filter of drama. And maybe we should consume news that is not dramatic and exciting.
The internet has a good side. There are forums, communities, and websites that indulge in making transactions of good information free to the public. Authors don’t sugarcoat their blogs. Youtubers are trying to spread information. Podcasts are being created with lucid words so that even an average English speaker can understand and educate themselves.
The media is not news on TV anymore, the media is the internet distributed across several different continents. The media is us who try to spread what happens in our little world on social media platforms. As long as we report our truth as facts, everyone who reads will go back with information that they could carry for the rest of their lives.
As long as we harbor negativity within our minds, we will continue to enjoy negativity like we’re watching a movie. We are guilty of encouraging outlets to continue to make a business out of negativity.
If you want to change the world, start with yourself — Mahatma Gandhi
Consume all kinds of news and information! Be armed with the power of knowledge! But don’t create an imbalance.
Make sure you are seeing as much good in the world as the bad. The world may be a frightening place, but it is also filled with good, hearty warming humans that can make you believe in the good things. May their humanity touch you and may you touch the life of someone else.
Here’s the thing. I run a podcast, Within 5 Minutes. And because you’re great readers, I know you’re great listeners too. Everything I write, I narrate in my podcast. I won’t lie when I tell you that the podcast has helped me, more than anyone. So if you think you’d like to revisit my thoughts, you can head to my podcast, Within 5 Minutes, which serves as an audio library for these blogs — https://linktr.ee/hacchuu
You can also get a preview of the podcast content in the podcast section of the CtrlAltGrow website.
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