I don’t think we’re any better or worse than we have been 20, 200, or 1000 years ago. The difference between now and then is access to information and consequently things spread at the speed of light. That and lots and lots of money. Good news rarely make headlines because it often doesn’t invoke the same emotional response as something that is plain disturbing. That’s the stuff that makes money and keeps media agencies in business.

Things will be this way for a very long time going forward. We’re going to make the same mistakes over and over again. We’re going to kill each other just like we did throughout our existence. All of this will keep happening until humanity, at some point, will reset itself into the next generation of our civilization. A civilization that is guided by the modern principles of life that we probably don’t even understand yet and leaves ancient traditions and religions behind. A highly advanced world where every single being (notice the word being, not animals which is what we are now) is on the same level in terms of their beliefs and comprehension of everything around them. However, before we get there we will probably wipe out more than half of the population on this planet.

So yeah, short term – don’t watch the news. That’s what i do and it’s working quite well 🙂

Aislynn,
This debate has been going on for ages now, and although I don’t agree with death penalty I don’t want to debate about it either.

But what I want to add in addition to what the others said above is how we can make the world a better place, especially if we don’t agree with the atrocities that are going on. This world is what we created. And we can continue making it the place we want it to be, by being “the change you wish to see in the world” (Gandhi). This is the ONLY way we can make the world a better place, even in the face of all the atrocities. Do as many positive things you can do as possible. It will create a ripple effect in the world you live in, the immediate world around you.

I do this by not boycotting the sensationalized news media, I do this by using plastic as little as possible, I do this by creating as tiny a footprint on the planet as I possibly can, I do this by traveling as little as I can so I don’t pollute the environment and use earth’s resources unnecessarily, I do this by commenting / helping people on positive places like TinyBuddha and my own website. This is how I’ve chosen to create the world I want to live in. You can call me naive, but if we can all do that, I do have an ideal that we can create the world a better place to live 🙂

More: the innocent, the real innocent are the children, and child abuse in various forms hurt like hell, hurts millions of children as I type this, right now, feelings are hurt so traumatically that most never heal. It is heart breaking. Most defend their abuser to their last day. Harley, the severely beaten boy I mentioned. He turned out to be a teacher, just like his mother, and living with a much older woman, still trying to please and get the love of the woman who hurt him so.

These children are in the adults you meet every day.
anita

Dear Aislynn:

What a gracious person you are! Responding to each individual with attention and appreciation to what he/ she wrote!
This is how you make the world a better place, isn’t it? This attentive, positive response to each individual!

As far as getting the news, how about this attitude: Just the facts, mam! Get a news channel or source that gives you only the facts in a … factual way, no drama, no going on and on and on for the purpose of fueling emotions and keeping the reader, listener or watcher hooked. Only the facts, mam!

anita

Dear Aislynn:

I just read your heart felt comment on the Please Help Me thread eight hours ago or so. I sure hope the original poster will reply. I am mentioning it here because it makes me wonder… reaching out to people, you would think he or she will appreciate the effort to help him.. or her. You take great care in expressing appreciation and I found myself thinking: it would almost be cruel (topic of this thread) if Aislynn’s replies on that thread, such VALUABLE two replies (having your experience so similar to original poster’s and your insight and articulation etc., if those will NOT be answered.

But this is how it is. I see replies, heart felt, very well meaning and at times very valuable, like yours on this one, and yet… no answer. And I wonder why is that. It is possible that the original poster does not come back to the forum. But if he or she is back, I do not understand why they do not reply.

I figure even if the OP does not come back, does not read or does not appreciate the reply, then maybe someone else reading it is going to find it helpful.

Happy New Year Day for you and good year ahead! Hope to see more and more posts by you here !

anita

Dear Aislynn:

I concur with your first and second paragraph and glad you posted it. It is so nice to get your attentive replies, what I do try to do answering others. It is refreshing and very much appreciated.

I thank you very much for the third paragraph, much appreciated. You wrote that some of the people posting on the website are “very broken souls”- I too have been, until not too long ago, a broken, very broken soul myself. I used to wish my own death often, as a way out of misery. What a difference my now five year healing journey has made! There is no Happily-ever-after state of mind in my case, not now, not expecting there to be, but healing is amazing, an ongoing process and I highly recommend it, and try to encourage it, for anyone who needs healing.

Thank you again, I am so very glad you are here on tiny buddha. You are much appreciated!

anita