Are you a news buff? Do you read every column of the papers, and shush the children when every bulletin comes on the telly? It goes without saying we live in the information age, but at what price?
Which of our ancestors was bombarded a hundred times a day with news of plague, pestilence, war and suffering? Can you imagine what that does to your emotional state? You are constantly being thrown into anxiety, fear, worry and confronted with the pain of fellow human beings, or animals or the earth itself. Rarely, if ever, does the news throw up information to gladden the heart.
For this week, cancel the papers. Turn off the TV when the news comes on. Just for one week. (Are you addicted to this? Notice your resistance!). And notice how much freer you are to enjoy the life around you. Family, friends and colleagues will suddenly come into sharp relief, and their lives will become your source of interest in a way that you may not have noticed before. Your attention will be more focussed.
Come Saturday, switch it all back on – I think you may be surprised at the contrast.
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