Why do we love bad news so much? Here’s some intriguing thoughts, and why people in this age of instant, ubiquitous social media are so influence in the pessimistic direction. We remember what is emotionally charged, and negative news is so. And, to add to that, great is the power of steady repetition.
To be virtuous, and to see the truth clearly, it is requisite for us to train, discipline and guide our emotions and passions, and not be led by them. We must also filter what comes into our minds, through our eyes and ears. To see ‘reality’ only through the distorted lens of the ‘news’ media, as Chesterton pointed out nearly a century ago, is a fool’s errand.
Rather, dear reader, disengage for a time, or forever, from the puppets and shadows of puppets of Plato’s cave; pray, ponder, peruse a good book, and ask guidance from the Holy Spirit, Who will see us into all the truth, and a much better frame of mind and soul.
There is hope, after all – and, you never know, it might even be infectious.