1-22 Stoppel-cr
By G.C. Stoppel
Twice, in less than 12 hours and from two different sources, I heard basically the same message on how to deal with the swirling chaos in much of the news.
The first was when I watched the French television mystery series “Astrid.” The main character is a high-functioning autistic and Paris police detective. She is a genius with a photographic memory and can often find the answers to the crime of the week.
Brilliant but imperfect, because certain normal things spike her stress level. To monitor herself she keeps 10 plastic beads in one pocket, shifting them to another when she is under too much pressure.
When her supply of beads runs low, just before she runs out of them and hits bottom, she steps out of the situation to mentally and emotionally regroup.
The second came when a friend said a Buddhist teacher had told his disciples about the one grain of rice method. Each grain is symbolically used to enumerate the challenging and dreadful news in the world, nation, state and locally, as well as one’s own life.
One challenge or worry means one grain. Many people, he observed, try carrying an ever-increasing load of rice. He teaches that a better way is to focus on the far-more manageable one grain of rice.
Pick or discern one thing, preferably something upon which we can make a positive impact, and leave behind everything else. If it’s something about which we can’t do anything, cast it away and pick something new.
When my friend finds her mind swirling like a whirlwind, she focuses on one grain. In time she stabilizes her thinking and is better able to make favorable changes in one situation. Then she is better equipped to move to the second.
These are two different but similar methods on how to deal with the challenges in our world. I like that line of thinking.
It is hard to make sense of some big and important things happening in our world. Making matters worse is the prattle that accompanies every drip and drab of a news article. It’s known as commentary, but basically it is a talking head who tries to explain the situation to fit their agenda, intended audience, or satisfy their advertisers.
These professional spin doctors travel in packs, and their drivel becomes more irksome when several are talking over and at each other at the same time. It is meant to make the topic seem even more important.
Bad news always sells. Think about TV weather forecasts. It isn’t called “Good weather tonight” for a reason. A viewer would hear that introduction and feel they already know anything important. Use the words severe, dangerous, storm or something else, and people listen.
My favorite came when a west Michigan meteorologist said, “Right after these words from our sponsor, we’ll see if this weekend will bring this year’s blizzard of the century.” The whole idea is to keep viewers watching the advertisements.
The phrase “breaking news” also spikes our stress leveI. Often such stories are hours old and as stale as coffee we pour down the drain.
Which brings us back to the beads and rice. Yes, some news is important and involves things we need to know. But we don’t need to absorb or be concerned about everything. It only matters to us as individuals if there is something we can do about it.
Remember the Olds telling us “Finish your vegetables; there are starving children in Africa.” Yes, there were indeed children going hungry half a world away, but a few forkfuls of vegetables is not going to be shipped to anywhere and make a difference. It was a cheap shot that one generation of Olds learned from the ones before them. What did work is when one of the Olds gave a plausible explanation on the delight of spinach “Look what it does for Popeye.”
Of course, there are ways of working around them. Being a creative anarchist, after hearing the message about vegetables and starving kids, I decided to join the Clean Plate Club and then ask for seconds. The Olds didn’t know what to do with me.
Adding to the more-traditional news sources are the “citizen journalists” and influencers who fill social media with their contributions. Rather than think they are brilliant or write them off as cranks, remember the dictum “Follow the money.”
They do their work hoping to make money, and there is nothing wrong with that. Even so, they can raise our stress and anxiety. So, just where is their money coming from?
In addition to following the money, it’s important to following agendas back to their source. Who is saying what, for what reason? What is their agenda?
Finally, we have to deal with our own agendas. Many people live any state of FOMA, fear of missing out. We do not want to be the only person in our group who isn’t up to date on the latest trends, whether it is fashion, entertainment, the economy or politics. Rather, there’s a competition within a group so that one person can elevate his or her status by being the first to know something and tell others.
Obviously, we cannot go off the grid and ignore all the news. That was possible before electronic media platforms. A person in a remote area rarely heard late breaking news because it was already old by the time it got to them.
That’s what happened at the Battle of New Orleans on Jan. 8, 1815. The War of 1812 peace treaty had been signed in Europe weeks earlier, but the news had not reached this continent. Hundreds of soldiers were killed or wounded as a result.
Nor would it be wise for us to intentionally absent ourselves from people who or events that have a tremendous influence on our lives. We might miss some very good things.
That means we must be selective in how much time and energy we want to devote to following current events and listening to the talking heads.
That is up to you. If you want to follow TV news around the clock, it is your choice. Just keep in mind, that as with the old adage about food, when it comes to news, we are what we absorb. When it becomes over-whelming, remember Astrid’s white plastic beads or my friend’s single grain of rice.
Instead of being a sponge absorbing everything, be discerning. Then, when it still seems a bit overwhelming, it might help to give some serious thought to the rice and beans.
