Ignorance is Bless?

During the holiday season, I have my annually gatherings with family and friends, we all share experiences and ideas. One that really got my attention this year, was whether I watch the news or not? I was surprised by the fact that I was among the few that didn’t like to be informed by the daily struggle of the world and that didn’t want to know the true colors of the environment that I live in. But is that such a bad thing? Is my ignorance a bless or is it possible that I am denying what is going around me?

As a kid my parents told me that there is a lot of pain and misery in the world, that life is not fair and sometimes innocent beings get hurt. As I grow up I realized that is very true, that each day we come across a lot of suffering, there are times when we can do something to help other times we are powerless. I was educated to try to help and to make a difference when possible, but also to let it go and walk away when it’s outside my power.

What does this have to do with watching the news? Well, we get to see, hear or read about horrible things, about murders, tragedies, financial problems, economic distress, insecure places, tourists that were killed in vacation, discrimination, massive shootings, and so many other “extremely important” news, that we cannot change. Furthermore, we are told that we should always be informed about what is going on all around the world because let’s face it, information is power. But is all information useful? Or even correct?

It’s been a long time since I last followed the news, but each time I stumble upon them I get anxious, it’s as if all the good from the world disappeared and that Earth is a dangerous place to live. Thing is, if I close the TV and look around the landscape changes, there are people helping each other, there are major breakthroughs every day, I see people surviving fatal diseases and, the most important, I see hope.

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