Tune the Media Out, and Tune Your Soul In

I am going to use my time in this blog to stray off the topic of addiction and recovery and share my passionate feelings on one aspect of the Newtown tragedy that I feel is not being talked about.  I am going to direct my comments specifically at those in the news media, for I see that they have yet again taken to the airwaves with around-the-clock sensationalism. They seize every opportunity to capitalize on ratings without the slightest thought that what they are doing may be setting the wheels in motion for the next big attack.

Last Friday, as word was coming out of what had happened, I found myself in places where people had the news on so they could receive the latest information.  Most of the information that came out ended up being incorrect, distorted, and sensationalized.  For crying out loud, they didn’t even get the killer’s name right!…the very name that they will use every time there is a horrific event such as this going forward.

Each member of the media wasted no time applying their own agenda to the tragedy:  gun control, security measures, mental illness, politics, bullying.  The list goes on and on.  What was missing?  The media never focused on themselves.  I am willing to bet that not once have the words “we in the media are a huge part of this problem” been uttered over the airwaves.  I will also to go out on a limb and say that that the media would not be willing to admit the possibility that they are urging on the next killing spree by continuously letting us know who the current leader in mass killing is.

There are mentally challenged, socially inept, psychopathic people living in our society, sitting in front of the cable news shows all day and all night while the overly dramatic tones of the newscasters drone on and on about the same topics.  Have you noticed that they are on loops?  Every hour the same stories over and over, just adding a little more drama disguised as information to keep you sitting in front of the television to get the latest tidbit of misinformation.

These deranged, lonely, isolated people are far too easy prey for the good-looking, intelligent-speaking commentators on the screen.  They see their opportunity for fame.  They are very aware of the notoriety the other socially disabled psychopaths have received.  Every time something like this happens the news networks start blaring the names of the killers at Columbine and Virginia Tech, reminding us what their kill totals where and what the new bar has been raised to.  These killers live in infamy due to the media’s unrelenting worship.

Many prominent figures have weighed in on the Newtown massacre, each offering their own solution or thoughts on how we got here and how we can get out.  I believe this is a “we” problem — we see this happening, we sit in front of our high-definition televisions and pad the news show ratings, we beg them for more information.  Do we really need to know anymore than “a deranged person stormed a school and took the lives of innocent human beings?”  We don’t need to know the who, what, where, how, and how many.  We just don’t.  It does not matter.  What matters is it happened.  Now we have to decide who we are around it and what we want to do about it, if anything.

I had made a decision a year or so ago to turn off the news.  We stopped watching the morning news, nightly news, breaking news, live-team-coverage news, hurricane-watch news, the all of it.  The level of peace and serenity I felt increased exponentially.  I had had a similar awakening a few  years prior to that.  I used to be a faithful listener of talk radio.  I had the whole day lineup from the morning guy, to the midday guy, to the afternoon-drive guy.  I let them have space in my head for free.  And by the end of each day, I had the talking points memorized.  One by one, it became clear to me that the sounds they were sending my way were not who I was, nor who I wanted to be.  When I turned the talk shows off and turned on the sounds that felt more in line with who I was, I found a higher place of beingness.  I found that my head became filled with my heart messages and not someone else’s words.  I was in control of my beliefs.  This is a powerful place, friends.  I invite you to join it with me.

Tune out and tune in.  You will not be missing anything.  You will hear about the important events that happen in the world.  You will still have the opportunity to express and declare who you are and what you believe about them.  You will actually be much clearer about who that is without all the mis-information the media provides.  You can find news outlets that you can regulate.  You can stay informed and create your own thoughts and feelings around the information you choose to give priority to.

We do not need the cable news shows telling us what to think and feel.  They use fear as a tool to keep people listening.  When was the last time the news gave you anything you needed or protected you from harm?  Why not turn off the TV and turn on some music that will bring a smile to your lips or a tear to your eye?  Let your Soul hear something that welcomes it into your living room.

So this is my soapbox around the Newtown tragedy.  What is yours?

(Kevin McCormack is a Conversations with God Life Coach, a Spiritual helper on www.changingchange.net, Addictions recovery advisor.  To connect with Kevin please email him at Kevin@theglobalconversation.com)