Mind Body & Spirit

Recently a story that could rock the foundation of modern civilization was released in the media. This report claimed to reveal one of the most closely guarded secrets of all time. Never has a news story had the potential for such far-reaching implications. However, we are told this is not news. What, you ask? This news is not worthy of “the news”?

What we purport to be news is nothing more than a voyeuristic peering into the anguish of human tragedy from around the globe. If you want to improve your life and grow, eliminating negatives from your life is just as important as investing in positives. “Out with the old, in with the new” is more than a phrase in pop culture.

Four years ago I changed hats and went from working in the media as a radio host to working with others in their personal growth to develop their human potential. My perception of the media, that I clung to so tightly in my rose colored glasses, changed completely. Questions began to percolate in my consciousness: “How did my work in the media benefit others?” and “What legacy did I leave behind?” Sadly, the answers are “it didn’t”, and “nothing of value”.

So, with that said, let’s examine what “the news” truly is. First and foremost it’s a business. Make no mistake; delivering the news is a business, a big business. Like all business enterprises in a capitalist society, a product is produced or a service is provided with the expectation of financial gain. The financial gain provided through the production and delivery of the news is enormous.

Second, news organizations primarily gather and broadcast details and information relating to the tragedy of others. Sure, in order to legitimize it as news, we are fed a smattering of shuttle launches and panda births. However, the main message delivers the salient details and horrors of human suffering. War, murder, rape, terrorism and crime are counted upon as the meat and potatoes of any news package worth its salt. Again and again I have been faced with the questions. “Who does this information serve?” “What is the benefit to you, me, or the world?” Being informed is one thing. Being deluged with the intricacies of tragedy is another.

Shielding yourself from the negative impact of the news on your sub-conscious requires you to shift your paradigm completely away from one of the most powerful forces in society. The news is not the news. It is a one-dimensional view of certain events in our world. This dimension is primarily one of tragedy. In reality, thousands of great, wonderful, positive things happen in the world every day, but you won’t necessarily hear about them because they are not considered news worthy.

The point of all this is the effect “the news” has on your sub-conscious, and the consciousness of the world. Our vision of the world has become clouded, negative and frightening. There is no balance. The media has not been a vehicle to present triumph, kindness and the potential of mankind. However, there is hope.

This past year I witnessed a phenomenon with the release, through the media, of a documentary presenting The Law of Attraction to the world. This law suggests that whatever you focus, visualize, and invest emotion into will manifest in your life. Many people, along with a great many learned teachers and philosophers, believe this to be true. Respected scientists around the world are beginning to prove it in their laboratories as well. If you take the time to examine experiences in your own life, no doubt you may agree with this philosophy too.

With this being said, then what place does “the news”, as society knows it today, have in raising the consciousness of our world? How could we possibly benefit? As the law of attraction states; what we focus on manifests. What we ignore diminishes. There is little doubt that focusing on the cloud cover called “the news” will diminish the chance of any sun breaking through to shine on human potential. The stories of good, triumph, and growth are everywhere around us if we take the time to look just beyond what we believe is “the news” and focus on the positive. Now, how would a shift in our focus to the positive manifest in the world?

During a conversation many years ago a mentor told me the media, for the most part, creates heat. He said, “I would like you to consider creating light.” I am just now beginning to understand what he means.