The
other day I walked in the house and found hubby Larry in a funk. When I asked
him what was wrong, he said, “I saw another shooting on the news.”
Larry, being
a kind and empathetic person, had absorbed this pain, and as he explained in
detail what happened, I became sad. Until then, I’d been in my happy zone, listening
to Elvis on Sirius radio.
“Don’t watch
the news,” I told Larry.
Strange
advice, coming from me, a news reporter for many years, but when I first started
my career as a journalist, it was a different era. I tried to stick to the
facts, give all points of view, and avoid reporting on certain things. Like
suicides, for example. Reporting a suicide created more suicides.
Nowadays nothing
seems off limits. The 24-hour news monster has taken over. This monster is impossible
to satisfy, and seems to prefer a diet of sensationalism with violence and
killing and political mud-slinging.
To avoid the
flatulence of this monster, I’ve decided to watch the news less and spend more time
trying to become more peaceful and compassionate.
Compassion
is our highest calling, according to author and philosopher Joseph Campbell.
But how can we become compassionate when we blame others for the problems in
our world?
In pondering this question, I recalled the
words of a song I heard Elvis sing the other day:
“Walk a mile
in my shoes
Walk a mile
in my shoes
Before you
abuse, criticize and accuse
Walk a mile
in my shoes.”
As a writer,
I often try to imagine myself walking in the shoes of others, and I suppose that’s
why I like this recitation from the Dalai Lama:
“Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a
precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my
energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve
enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts
towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am
going to benefit others as much as I can.”
In order to achieve a true state of compassion,
we should focus on our commonalities, rather than our differences, according to
his teachings. We all want to be happy. We’ve all known pain and suffering. And
we all appreciate a smile and a sympathetic ear.
I like to think I’m a compassionate
person, but I have a problem when it comes to people who deliberately hurt
others, and yet, according to the Dalai Lama, I can’t reach that final stage of
kindhearted living, unless I want to ease the sufferings of those who have
caused suffering.
If someone hurts us, we shouldn’t react
angrily, he says. We should withdraw. Analyze the situation and ultimately
realize that the abusive person is the one who is suffering, and then we should
offer compassion.
“If
you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy,
practice compassion.”—Dalai Lama
Daughter Andrea claims she’s found more
compassion and peace since she stopped watching the news every day. She
recently canceled her cable subscription and bought a box that converts her
regular television to a smart T.V. This allows her to select the programs she
wants to watch. She feels lighter now, unlike some of her friends, addicted to
the news, who emit heavy, negative vibes, she says.
I certainly don’t want heavy, negative
vibes, I told her, and I’m determined not to let all of this bad news destroy
my day. I’d rather work on trying to eliminate my own flaws and in the process,
become more compassionate.
Maybe if we all choose this path, our
positive energy will spread to everyone, everywhere, or to quote one of my favorite
spiritual song, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me…”
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