Anxiety is the drug of choice for 90 percent of the population. The media creates anxiety and fear in the masses by dosing them with problems from all over the globe. Because of this media blitz the masses transform the created anxiety and fear into worry. The media has created a need in people to worry. Since worry has never solved a problem why worry about anything? Better yet why worry or even think about issues that have nothing to do with you?
Television showcases events from one area of the USA and transform the situation into a problem for the whole country. Case in point, Ferguson, MO. If you are not a resident of Ferguson why are you upset over what happened? Why would someone in Milwaukee lose sleep over an incident in Missouri? That is not being callous towards others, it’s being real. The incident in Ferguson has played out in various forms in Milwaukee several times in the past. Did the citizens of Ferguson have a march for Milwaukee?
People have to start asking themselves if what they watch on TV is conducive to peace of mind. If a television news story creates anxiety and strong negative emotions what good is this information to you? Why think or create fear or anger when the issue fueling these emotions is over 400 miles away? Better yet, why create worry when the issue has nothing to do with you?
It seems as if people today are always adopting other’s problems. It may be because they feel the need to identify with a situation or cause. There is always some reason for outrage if you want to be outraged. The question is why would anyone want to be in that state of mind? Does the anger make the worry that what happened in Ferguson may happen to you go away? In most cases the answer is no. The emotions that come from picking up any hot topic usually creates more intense worry. The main reason being: your mind is trying to solve a situation that hasn’t happened so it can’t. These television news created worries can have you in your living room angry then scared as you deadbolt your front door.
In truth, do people have time to worry or even think about other’s problems? If one wants to solve problems the majority of people have a plethora of their own that need looking into. Many people have children or siblings that may fit a stereotype marked for extinction. There is an old saying, clean up your house first. If people adopted this mantra maybe the need for high blood pressure medicine would decrease.
People have to keep in mind for every negative television news event that happens there is a positive story to offset it. The positive news is often overlooked because the negative event is the lead story on the 6:00 news. One doesn’t have to look to the media for something positive. People can begin to look at nature to find something positive. There is harmony in the birds singing or the sun rising and setting. These examples may not seem as exciting as martial law being imposed in some far off place, but the thoughts are more pleasant.
Frank James IV © 2014
beingfrankwithfrank@gmail.com
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or NCON Communication, its staff or management. Being Frank is a bi-weekly column exclusive to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper.
