News Fast

 For just over a week, I've been trying not to watch or read the news.

It's harder than I thought, as the news is really in your face more than I realised before I decided not to watch or read it.

It's on my computer when I open my browser; it's on Facebook because one time I clicked on a news report from a British newspaper, and on YouTube. 

I never noticed how invasive the news was, how the headlines, photos and videos are there to draw you in. 

Are the headlines more sensational now than before because of the competition with social media and citizen journalists? 

Yesterday there was a train crash in the UK. The headlines all state the same thing but with different levels of emotional framing. For example, one headline stated "Driver dead and nearly 90 injured", whereas another just says "Bedford train crash latest: Injury toll rises to 100". Same news, different emphasis.

How often do I get caught by headlines, thinking that I need to know this news, spend time watching or reading only to realise that the news has nothing to do with me, that I can't change things, I can't undo the awful thing that has happened, and I'm left feeling sad and depressed because of it!

Lives are being destroyed across the globe because of wars, famine, crime of all kinds, the basic unfairness of life. Political leaders are more worried about the next election than the pain of the people they are supposed to be serving. Families are torn apart because of a thoughtless action that has killed someone, destroyed lives and left communities bereft. I read these stories; I cry for the families, I wonder if there is anything that I can do, and I realise that beyond prayer there is very little I can do.

What is the purpose of news? Do I need to know about every single knife crime in the UK? Even if my heart breaks for the families or it makes an interesting debate for my advanced students, debating the cause of escalating crime in the UK, what the government should and can do and why it isn't happening in Japan, does taking in that news help me?

No, it doesn't. I chose not to vote in the UK, as I don't live there and the government actions don't impact my life. So even in the one way I could influence things, I don't. I have no voting rights in Japan, but I encourage my kids to vote. I think having a voice is important.

I feel that taking in the news hasn't helped me, hasn't shown me what the world is really like. I joke with my students that in the winter in the UK everyone is going to be killed by a new virus, die from the cold or a storm or be invaded by Russia or nuked by them. The past few years, every winter has been the same news, with a smattering of royal scandals, knife crime or immigration takeover. But when I talk to my family or friends who live there, they say it isn't that bad. Yes, some areas are bad, but that hasn't really changed. Growing up, there were areas of my city that we were told to stay away from. The news makes it seem that there are criminals on every street corner, that all politicians are crooks and that you shouldn't trust anyone at all. 

I think some news is important. I think having discernment is important. Being sucked into the latest sensational news doesn't help at all; getting angry because of the awful things that are happening isn't helping me and doesn't change things.

So my news fast is opening my eyes to other things. I can see that I spent a lot of time watching or reading news, getting bent out of shape because of it (probably doesn't help my blood pressure) and having all this anger with nowhere for it to go!

I would react to a news headline of the murder of another kid with anger and grief, but that doesn't undo the action. I would wonder why young kids are killing each other; where have we gone wrong that kids think murder is justified? But what can I do? I have this little blog, but I don't want to go down that rabbit hole! I found that I would carry that pain and sadness with me. Not interacting with that for the past week, I feel lighter. Yes, these things are still happening, but I have enough problems to deal with!

Also, I didn't realise how much time I spent watching and reading the news! I was on my computer the other day. I finished writing this blog and was wondering what to do next; I was thinking of trying different AIs to design some T-shirts. I realised that after writing my blog, I would usually start looking at the news. I could spend up to an hour on that! An hour of shouting at the screen. What a waste!

The only news I look at now is the weather news; there's another typhoon just forming, so I'm keeping an eye on that!

Has anyone else done a news fast?

This is my news. Fluffy stole my chicken; she got my fork as well!