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Unless you are living in a tent, somewhere in the middle of the Redwood Forest, chances are you have heard or seen the warnings about the possible pandemic, swine flu. By a show of hands how many of you recall the SARS outbreak that occurred several years back? I imagine that a lot of you raised your hands. Now how many of you were personally infected with the virus, or know someone that was? Hmmm...A lot of hands just dropped across the world.
A long time ago, members of the television media, journalists, etc. realized the marketability of Fear. Instilling a deep seeded fear into the American public, and into people in every country across the globe, sells. It is as simple as that. If you keep the fear alive in people, they will tune in night after night to make sure that their little area of the world is not being threatened. They will rush out to buy the newspaper to read the death counts, the new number of confirmed cases, and all the other goodies that go along with terrifying the public.
When was the last time you turned on the evening news and saw a piece about John Smith, the local grocery store operator, giving out free food to those in need? When was the last time you saw news about an athlete that was not using steroids or bashing his or her team? There is far more good going on in this world, but we are covered,so deeply, underneath a blanket of fear, that we fail to recognize all of the wonderful things that are happening all around us.
It is no wonder that people are depressed. It is no wonder that suicide rates are skyrocketing. When you turn on the news every night and it gives you the impression that the world is coming to an end, it is difficult to let a smile slip onto your lips. It is hard to even muster up the courage to venture outside into the horrifying world that is portrayed in the media.
The truth is that there is a lot more good than evil in this world. I can step outside my door and see 50 things that make me smile. Wouldn't it be lovely if the news focused on the good in this world, rather than over-exaggerating the amount of evil. We would be able to live free again. We would be able to stop and smell the flowers without worrying that they might give us some deadly disease. We would be able to smile and the world would be a better place to live. Think about it!
