Why I Turned Off The News

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

We are the happiest and most inspired by life when our hearts are open.  We open our hearts by focusing our thoughts on the things that bring positivity and love into our life.  This positive energy is also known as high vibrational energy.

On the contrary, we are the saddest and most uninspired by life when our hearts are closed off.  Our hearts close off when we focus on things that bring negativity and fear into our lives.   This negative energy is also known as low vibrational energy.

We must reduce our daily intake of low vibrational content if we are to live the life we desire.
 

The News Media: A Constant Stream Of Negative Energy

For many of us, the largest single source of this low vibrational content is the news.

I first realized this in 2013, after terminating my cable television subscription.  My original intent was to create more time to focus on finding my purpose. 

However, I quickly noticed that my mood improved greatly as a byproduct of terminating cable television. This is because I was no longer focused on a constant stream of low vibrational content being broadcast across the airwaves.

This realization—that I was happier without cable television—led me to explore why the news focused so exclusively on low vibrational content.


Existence For Advertising Revenue

It is important to realize that the purpose of the news media is to maximize advertising revenue.  The more viewers watch news channels and/or click on news articles, the more the media company gets paid for advertising on their channel and/or website.

In fact, most news companies’ motto is “If it bleeds, it leads.” This is why we are constantly inundated with the most horrible and sensational stories.

The news producers recognize that most of us treat the news like a car accident.  We are unable to turn away, even though we know we should be focused elsewhere.

Our inability to turn away from this negative energy is how news companies pay their bills.
 

World News Feels Local

We must also realize that world news feels much more local now.  News correspondents of many news companies are located all over the world and we receive live reporting for all breaking news. 

A few decades ago, it would have taken a few days to get news footage of a terror attack on the other side of the world.  Today, we have nearly immediate images and videos of the attacks, and 3-D simulation illustrating exactly what took place.

Although this may help us stay informed, it also causes us to feel as though every extreme act of violence is taking place in our backyards. 
 

News Creates Fear

The news focuses the majority of its coverage on stories about the worst events taking place in the world today.  We are inundated by these stories, and these negative events generate fear in us. We begin to fear that we may experience or witness violence every day.

We cannot allow this fear to dominate our lives because it inhibits us from living with an open heart and living a life of purpose and love.

We must transform the way we consume the news.


Not Advocating For Ignorance

Now, I am definitely not advocating for ignorance.

We need to stay informed about the issues that are causing suffering in the world, because understanding the root causes of this suffering is the best way for us to find solutions.

The news can also help us and others generate empathy for people affected by tragedies.

Finally, we must educate ourselves about important issues if we want to be prepared to educate others and build a more peaceful and loving world.

Nevertheless, there are more efficient ways to consume the news.


Transforming Our News Consumption

We can consume the news efficiently by reading select news articles instead of watching television. This allows us to obtain important information in a streamlined way.

We should also only spend a fixed amount of time at a fixed time in the day reading news articles. This is to prevent us from spending our whole day consuming low vibrational content that destabilizes our consciousness.

And, once we have obtained the necessary information through these news articles, we must return to the present moment.

It is in the present moment that we can act to change the things that we cannot accept. And, if we feel that there is not much that we can do in response to a recent event that brought others’ suffering, we should use the present moment to focus on finding and pursuing our purpose and serving others.

Pursuing our dreams and serving others will generate the love and compassion needed to heal the world.