Love is Newsworthy

I have never really liked watching the News, especially in the morning, because I feel like it ruins my mood for the entire day. It seems to reinforce the idea that evil abounds, its forces growing day by day, that people are inherently evil, that we have so much to fear. Not only do the reports of hatred and violence weigh heavily on my mind and spirit, but the injustices of it all, of our broken and corrupt social systems, make me angry. I feel as though I come away from every News experience more upset than informed.

It has occurred to me in the last year, that this is an epidemic. The Media chooses what to report upon, and they primarily focus on doom and gloom, because that's what sells a story. Because the Media is a facet of our society that permeates our entire lives, we are constantly bombarded with the general summation of violence, corruption, and injustice that occurs in the world each day. We are rarely, however, made to witness the ordinary, mundane, and overwhelmingly good actions, which take place far more frequently the world over each minute. From the truly inspiring and selfless acts of heroes, to those who risk their lives daily in the service and protection of others, to the constant toiling of public servants like teachers, who get little compensation and thanks, down the mother who feeds her children and sends them to school each day, there are millions of acts of kindness that go unnoticed, and a very small number (relatively) of hateful, horrible things which are the center of everyone's attention. The Media, and therefore our society, do not consider most acts of love to be "newsworthy".

I challenge us all to alter the perspective of the world and the people in it. I submit that the world is already a place made up, primarily, of acts of love and kindness, that for every negative and hateful action, there are a thousand positive and loving actions taking place each day. We should not collapse beneath the weight of fear-mongering and divisiveness. We must not give in to the force created by those who wish to tear us all apart. We cannot submit to the idea that our actions are pointless, and that we are all doomed. I believe that people are good, and that love prevails, and I think we could prove it and make everyone see that love is the overwhelming sentiment in the world over, not hatred. Take heart.

Focus on the million little acts of kindness, and examples of beauty around you every day. Let's make our own news. To me, it's noteworthy when people help each other, when they build things, when they communicate and come together, when they love, and grow, and create. I think that together, we could shift our perspective and focus, as a society, toward the good in ourselves and the world around us.

Let us not despair in the acts of terror that are aimed at tearing us apart. Let us not give that power to those who wreak havoc and attempt to instill fear. If we work to spread a message of love and unity, and to focus on and perpetuate kindness in our everyday lives, in this way, love shall overcome.

I challenge you to report acts of love and kindness, no matter how small, and to bring focus to those around us who are doing positive things. If we all relayed these kinds of things to each other each day, I think we would be met with a wave of love and positivity, and ultimately motivation, rather than despair. Perhaps then, those who seek to ignite fear and hatred would find less fuel.

To this end, I have started a Facebook Newspaper page called LoveisNewsworthy @bethechangenews, which focuses on stories about people helping other people, doing positive and inspiring things, from the fantastic to the mundane. Please become a member of the page, share it with your friends, and contribute! As always, thanks for reading!