Look for the Good News

As I listen to Pres. elect Barack Obahma tell us about his economic stimulus plan all I can think of is the song form Annie the musical..We're getting a new deal for Christmas.....his plan sounds just like a repeat of FDR's New Deal....It worked once before I guess it could work again. To hear the news shows this morning you would think that the sweetheart of the presidential campaign was an idiot to even suggest such a thing. The news media is so interesting....they claim that they are not liberal and not biased and don't editorialize, but I beg to differ. The media feels it is necessary to impose the negativity they find in the world into all of our lives...where is the good news, the human interest stories? We know that they exist.
Author and humorist, Andy Andrews has gone a 'news fast' and suggested that we all do the same...why, the news just makes us mad, is over editorialized and it is usually inaccurate. I agree...however for about a month now I still read the news paper and listen to the morning news programs, but I am doing it with a an attitude of it is just someones opinion. Andy says that if the news is really important someone will call you. That too is true.
The reason I still listen to and read the news is mainly for the feature stories....you know the human interest stuff. The features are where you find the real news. Features report on real things and people. The features tell us that for the most part we are all just getting along, doing our best, hoping for the best.
When I think of news and bad times I am reminded of a story I heard years ago about a man who picked up a paper at at cafe and read the bad news,the gloom and doom of the economy. He thought his world was doomed and passed on his attitude by not buy his regular purchase from the grocer. He explained to the grocer that the economy was bad and so he couldn't make the purchase. The grocer responded by letting and employee go so as not to be caught in bad way by the economic doom. The employee was then forced to move out of his home because he couldn't afford the rent.....it goes on and on.....but the bottom line is that the news paper the first man read was an old paper reporting on the times during the Great Depression. He let the news paper change his thinking and behavior.
How we respond to the news is want makes the difference in our lives....if it takes a complete news fast like Andy Andrews then do it, but don't get caught up in it all. We need to make our decisions based on what is best for us not on what the news is telling us to do.
At the Call home we have cut back a bit in these economic challenged times, but I think it is more due to sending two family members away. Gary and I read the paper every morning while listening to the news shows.....We laugh at the inaccuracies, the pet stories, and the non editorial editorials. However we read to each other the stories we find to be interesting, stories about rising above, of hope, making a difference or bucking the system.
We need to make good informed good choices. Don't let your choices be made by the likes of Matt Lauer or USA Today.
At our home we have decided that the news is just the news, but the news we really need to be paying attention to and doing something with is the news in the April and November Ensign......
MCC