I am currently reading an epic book called Humankind (subtitled A Hopeful History) by a Dutch historian and thinker named Rutger Bregman. OK, I realize that sounds incredibly boring, but stay with me.
In Humankind, Bregman posits that the conventional wisdom that humans are by nature selfish and governed by self-interest is wrong. Bregman says that we are actually hardwired for kindness (hence the title… get it?) and he sets out to prove his thesis with a dive into 200,000 years of human history. I know this sounds pretty heavy (and not just because it’s 460 pages), but Bregman is a lively, unpretentious writer, and I’ve learned a lot about human nature. At the end of the book, in a slight departure from the rest of the text, he lists Ten Rules to Live By. Rule no. VII, coming just before Don’t Punch Nazis (not as weird as it sounds) is Avoid the News.
“The news tends to generalize people into groups like politicians, elites, racists and refugees,” he writes. “Worse, the news zooms in on the bad apples.”
He suggests avoiding the TV news and social media “push notifications” in favour of in-depth feature writing.
A few years ago, I would have scoffed at this advice. As a news addict, I was convinced that it was important – my sacred duty as a citizen of Canada – to know what was happening in the world. Now, not so much. I’m ready to ditch the news – up to a point.
Why am I trying to cleanse myself of the poisonous media?
Well, one of the reasons is that I don’t want to become one of those old people who watches TV news all day, then complains about it to the nearest available ear. I’ve found that the older the person, the more informed they are about the world, and the angrier they are. Why spend your declining years in a state of perpetual rage?
As a relatively new old person, I can’t watch or read the news without grinding my already decaying teeth down to stubs. So much of what passes for news today is nothing more than the media seeking out complainers that illustrate whatever the current media driven narrative is. Racism is all the rage today, resulting in stories like the one about the federal civil servant who complained because one of her superiors used the word ‘slave’ in her presence. Or the lo-o-o-ng CBC news website story about Indigenous women who find the seldom-heard word ‘squaw’ to be offensive; so as not to offend, the story referred to the word as “sq—”. (In general, it’s best to stay away from all CBC News.) As much as I admire the New York Times online, its emphasis on race is so excessive as to be laughable. The Times has carried dozens of stories about why there are not more Black ballet dancers, wine sommeliers, and – I’m not making this up – accountants. Yep, even accounting is racist now.
Then there’s the relentless efforts of the woke warriors to ruin the reputations and the livelihoods of as many people as possible, aided by the pseudo-scandal hungry media. Last week, I came upon the story of the acclaimed Japanese composer of the music for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, who was forced to resign for past bullying. And when I say past, I mean past – he was a bully when he was a child! Yes, these days you don’t even get a pass for childhood stupidity.
I try, oh how I try, not to read or listen to stories that just make me angry. But it’s almost impossible. While looking for something interesting to read, my eyes reflexively go to the closest, blood-pressure increasing story.
I’m slowly realizing that knowing what happens in the world isn’t all that important. One of my sons has the attitude that if it doesn’t impact his life, he doesn’t need to know it. I used to tsk-tsk that attitude, but now I’m coming around. The only news you must pay attention to is your local news – from your city council to your provincial government to your federal government. These people can impact your life directly, and we should still pay attention to what they are up to. But Black accountants? That’s not ‘news’.
Life is too short to spend it in a state of perpetual rage or worry. As Bregman writes: “Think as carefully about what you feed your mind as you do about the food you feed your body.”
In This Corner 
Helpful thoughts Maurice-& timely!🙏😊
Sent from my iPhone
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I get your point. All the news goes on about is crisis. Covid crisis, opioid crisis, climate crisis, energy crisis, healthcare crisis. Crisis, crisis, crisis. The news would have us believe civilization is only a half-step from toppling at any moment. No wonder there’s so much stress and anger.
Avoiding the news can help maintain at least some serenity.
Ah, Maurice, but our tendency to only act when things affect us directly has lead to too many of us believing the climate crisis isn’t a crisis. By the time my local council changes it’s mind about that, my community will join Lytton in being burned to the ground.