This Means Peace

How to treat the news in a crisis

Photo by Todd Trapani on Unsplash

I have moved myself away from the highly selective dissemination of information, curated by state institutions and private companies, called “news”. As a city dweller who uses a phone and a computer, it’s impossible to be entirely news free, however it’s surprising how much information about current events I’ve been able to eliminate by simply not seeking it out.

But whenever something happens that really gets people talking, I find out about it. Like finding out about the shooting of Charlie Kirk. It was my 16 year old son - who gets his news from social media (first) and school (second) - who told me about it just before bedtime last night. I had only a vague idea of who Charlie was, the words “controversial speaker” pretty much summed up my state of knowledge. This essay is not about the man, I leave the commentary on the passing of this human being to his family and those that have an actual connection to him.

I write instead about the role of the world of the news. Today, I peeked into my phone’s news feed to get a sense of what was happening according to major media.

What I saw was the lifting up and broadcasting of hostile words, angry sentiments, blame and threats of crushing the enemy. What I saw was chaos and exaggeration, hyperbole and fear.

What I did not see was simple grief, or the allowance of time for shock at a sudden and violent event of this one. What I did not see was stillness, quiet or thoughtful reflection on the unpredictability of life, on mortality and what it means for us all to be touched by an unexpected death.

For me, the news is a projection of the human ego. When I as a human am hurt, shocked or humiliated by something, my mind will quickly fill with stories. My mind will demand revenge. My mind will look for who to blame. That’s what my mind does.

Similarly, when something big happens in the world that news agencies know, they react with stories. They yell out for attention, with the scariest headlines, the most egregious quotes, the story of good and evil and coming war.

This is all very natural. And though I’m tempted to rail against and criticize the news for the polarization I see within it, that just fuels more war. It feels much better to accept that telling stories is what the news does. That is its role.

When we are shocked and reeling, from something personal or something political, the tendency is to jump into war. The news reflects what we feel within ourselves about the world. It’s a mirror that helps us see ourselves, even when it’s painful. The hatred we see in the news, if it inflames us, is a mirror for the hatred within us. Similarly with fear, grief and shame.

The mirror I see when I look at the news is the desire to point fingers at others, and the fear that doom is facing me. When I read the news I want to attack those who live differently than me, to blame those who I hold responsible for what I don’t like, to argue those who don’t think I’m right. When I read the news I want to rail against the news agencies themselves, to hate them and wish their downfall.

For me, there is no good action that comes from getting carried away by the stories in the news, or the stories in my mind. So rather than trying to change the news agencies or the people reported on or quoted in the news, I want to come back to myself, notice the temptation to point fingers or give in to fear, and choose a kinder path.

I want to remember that the news is not a true depiction of reality. Nor are the voices in my mind. Let the news tell its stories. Let the mind shout its fear and anger. What I seek is the calm in the eye of the storm. I seek to turn my attention away from stories, and connect to what is real instead.

What is real is my breath. What is real is my experience of the wind, the warmth of the sun or the coolness of the rain, the touch of another human being. And what is real are my feelings - I feel them, so they exist, and they don’t need to be explained or changed, only experienced.

Sometimes I question whether I am being irresponsible for avoiding the news. But in times like this, when I dip my toe in, I see that there is nothing for me there. I will continue to trust that, if something is important enough for me to notice, it will come into my daily life. If something is interesting or relevant to my life, I can research to learn more through a variety of sources. And if I turn off the screen, put down the paper, turn down the radio, and open my eyes to what is around, and within me, I’ll find the peace, happiness and beauty that was there all along.