Monday, April 29, 2013

Why I am on a news strike

A few years ago, I'd spend at least a few hours each night watching the news.  This was a ritual my wife and I had been performing for several years up to that point.

I never grew up in a household that watched the news, except for the local news at 10.  I remember in the summer of 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait, we had to ask a few neighbors of ours what in the world was going on--keep in mind, in those days, CNN was about the only 24/7 news organization, and people by and large didn't sit with their noses glued to the speeches of Wolf Blitzer until this point.

Over the years, I became more and more immersed in current events.  I didn't want to be left in the dark.  Whenever presidentail debates occurred, I was right there watching the whole thing.  Then, probably about the time my wife was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (in April 2011), I quit watching the news--or even TV in general--altogether.

Why?

I had more important things to worry about.  Like my wife and our life together.  Our family.  I realized that current events are going to happen, no matter how tragic, and there is very little I can do about it.  All it did was bring down my mood.

I was determined to change that.

And I did.

No more Wolf Blitzer for me.  I'm in control of my life--and you are too--by the power of your finger over the POWER button on the remote control.

(by the way, I don't watch reality TV shows either - I believe the same rules apply there, despite my mother-in-law's crusade for me to watch Duck Dynasty.  Frankly, I devote a certain amount of time for writing, and TV watching is too time-consuming for me).

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