Why are we so hungry for bad news? Why do we spend so
much time contemplating one moment of horror and so little time thinking about
what is right with the world?
Fear is entangled in our DNA. The tribe with high
levels of anxiety, perpetually scanning the horizon for signs of trouble, was
more likely to survive. Many thousands of generations later, we stare at a car
crash with a mixture of pity and empathy, together with an urge to avoid the
same fate.
When Alfred Hitchcock was asked, ''How long can you
show a couple kissing on a bed?'', his answer was: ''As long as you like,
providing there's a bomb ticking under it.'' In other words, fear is an easy
emotion to arouse and then maintain.
Fear may be useful, but it can also produce
self-fulfilling prophesies. Fear of crime, however unjustified, makes people
avoid walking the streets at night, creating neighbourhood streets that really
are less safe. Fear of an economic downturn means we stop spending, which then
causes the very economic downturn we feared.
When people say ''count your blessings'', or invite
you to hum along to ''accentuate the positive'', it can sound inane - a turning
away from the world and its problems. Yet sometimes those problems grow larger
because of thinking that is too negative, too fear-filled, too pessimistic.
Here's my point: there's nothing soft-minded about
''counting your blessings''.
Contemplating the good in the world is part of
giving yourself an accurate grip on reality. This, in turn, is the only way to
make good decisions and live a contented, successful life.
We shouldn't be shy about demanding a mix of news that
is both good and bad. We also shouldn't fall for the idea that grim news is
somehow more rigorous, or truthful, or serious, than news that captures the
world in all its richness. (The same, incidentally, is true in the world of
literature and film where ''the grimmer the better'' has become one of the more
fatuous calling cards of our age).
So, let's say it out loud. We live a third longer than
50 years ago. Famine is much less common. In the fight against malaria, the
humans are winning.
It's far, far better to be gay than was once the case.
Sydney's air pollution is much lower than it was a generation ago. We decided
to stop building our homes from asbestos sheeting.
And let's also give thanks to the Blessings of Small Things:
Most stains come out in the wash.
Snow falls on mountains, which are perfectly
shaped for skiing.
The best-tasting drink in the world - water - is also the
cheapest.
Deciduous trees grow leaves, and make shade, at just the right time
of year.
Socks are designed to fit either the left foot or the right.
A beer
tastes best after hard work.
And the more in love with someone you are, the better looking
they become.
Actually, you know, it's a wonderful world.
“This is the only advice I offer you. Pick the small thing,
and carry it on. Let it change your life.”
~~ Anna White
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| My friend Marja gave me this petite flower box for Christmas, isn't it lovely with the Christmas Bush. |
