“We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for the latest coverage on…” These were the words spoken by a news anchor on Fox recently just after the words “Breaking News” flashed before my eyes on my television screen. At the precise moment that transpired, I was also quite deeply enthralled in the latest episode of Sleepy Hollow. But for the next 10 to 15 minutes, my show was preempted to visual images of riots and violence in Ferguson, MO that had erupted all over again. The police officer that shot Michael Brown had not been indicted for his actions and people were retaliating. While my prayers have been going out regularly to all those in Ferguson, especially the family and friends of Michael Brown, I wondered why must everyone be subjected to seeing breaking news such as this?
Before I go any further though, I think it’s important to say that I don’t watch the news at all, on any given day, because I don’t like how it makes me feel when I do. It’s usually extremely gloomy, dreary, negative, and often biased. It also consistently paints the portrayal of a doomed society where everything seems to be falling apart. So while I may occasionally glance at USA Today’s headlines on the Internet to see if there is anything I can add to my daily prayers, I generally do what I can to steer clear of watching or reading the news anywhere. I should also add that television for me is nothing more than a temporary healthy escape to enjoy a number of science fiction and/or fantasy-based fictionalized shows. But when one or all of the major networks and many other channels start flashing the words “Breaking News” on my screen and then preempting whatever it is I’m watching, I’m left with only two choices: watch their coverage or turn my television off.
So when this latest wave of breaking news about the escalating violence in Ferguson occurred, I momentarily chose to remain tuned in to until I suddenly began to feel like I did during those dark days and weeks when I kept seeing images of the World Trade Towers crumbling down or the smoldering planes sitting in the side of the Pentagon and in that field in Pennsylvania. In other words, I didn’t feel good at all inside. With where I’m at in my spirituality today, I honestly don’t want to see things like this on my television screen, not one single bit. I don’t want to view any civil unrests or violent aggressions. I don’t want to look at bleak pictures of wars raging on or anything of the sort. And that’s not because I want to hide from it or pretend it’s not happening. I just choose to not spend any of my free time nowadays tuning into things that are only going to make me feel anger, rage, irritability, and many unwanted emotions that might warp my ability to be spiritual.
The bottom line is that I’m trying to live a total life of peace and serenity these days. That was virtually impossible for me to do so in years past when I continually subjected myself to the depressing imagery on the news, especially when those breaking reports came across my television set. I truly hope that someday technology will advance enough to give all of us the ability on our television screens to choose whether we want to tune into those breaking news reports or continue watching our shows. Until then, I prefer to just turn my set off and avoid any of them because I know in doing so, I’ll feel a whole heck of a lot better spiritually then if I didn’t.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
I understand the feelings you have around the news as I feel the same way. I do not watch the news because it is depressing in my judgement. I hear that the news media embellishes the facts and I hear an impression that the actions in the world are worse than they reallly are. I know that men have been fighting for many reasons according to recorded history and for many different reasons like ego based, pride, protection, anger, jeliously and sometimes just because. I do know that one person can make a difference in the world and in their local area and in their life. Here is support for a person to learn what is inside each of us to make a change.
The Power You Can Not Buy
Author: Byron Pulsifer, © 2011
Who do you know who has a lot of power? Maybe you know some famous business leaders who own and run large corporations worth millions of dollars or you may know some famous politicians, successful authors, or individual speculators in real estate who have made it big. Each of these types of people probably have buying power beyond what you ever imagined, or professional power to influence the policies or events of a country, or even the power to make or break careers as they see fit.
A Different Kind of Power
But, I want to talk about a different kind of power and one that I believe is worth a lot more than you may realize.
This is the kind of power that successful people know about from first hand experience, and the kind of power that cannot ever be taken from you.
It is the kind of power that can change lives for the better, or make an everlasting mark on the well being of many around them. So, what kind of power is this? Where can you get it? Is it available to only the chosen few?
A Short Story To Demonstrate
Let me tell you a short story to demonstrate what this power is and is not.
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to conduct a two and one half day seminar. This was a motivational and life-changing seminar basically designed to assist people in changing their lives, breaking through their own personal barriers that were preventing them from achieving what they really wanted from life.
It was always fascinating to see and meet the seminar attendees. Some of them couldn’t wait to get started, others were skeptical about what they would get for their money, and others attended reluctantly often being coerced or brow beaten to attend by spousal pressure.
This last group was always the most challenging to work with – you probably know the type. They sit there with arms crossed (a negative body language signal) and with what was a seemingly permanent scowl on their face, and forever looking around without seemingly focusing on what was being said or, minimally participating in any of the specific exercises meant to help them build positive mechanisms and behaviors to conquer old habits and thoughts.
. . . . . . and as was the usual practice of asking for feedback on a feedback form, and after all participants had left the seminar room, I started to look through the evaluations paying particular attention to find the form submitted by one of the attendees who had seemingly demonstrated less attentiveness than the rest of the participants, and one who constantly challenged me on almost every point I made. And, to my disappointment, in this case, there was no form. At the very least, I was expecting negative comments or something even more pointed. I left the seminar room that day thinking that I had failed this person – thinking that I hadn’t done enough to get through, or my seminar had no positive impact at all.
As I went about my business and preparation for the next seminar over the next two weeks, one day I received a phone call – I had no caller ID so I never knew who was calling me or for what reason. When I answered the phone, a somewhat familiar voice resonated in my memory – I couldn’t quite place the voice but I knew I had heard it recently. To my surprise, the caller identified himself by name after a few moments as the person who had not submitted their evaluation form. As soon as I heard the name, I was prepared for a verbal harangue or even a request for a total refund.
What I heard from him, though, was something I was unprepared for. He took his time to explain that he didn’t want to talk with me at the end of the seminar because he was so unused to being affected the way he was – that is, in a very positive way. He went on to tell me how much the seminar hand meant to him, how much it had already helped him change his ways, and how much more comfortable he was with himself now that he knew how to overcome his own personal barriers to success both personally and professionally. Wow, was I surprised – and glad all at the same time.
The Point Is This
We all have personal power to affect the behaviors of others and this is the power you can’t buy, beg or steal. It is the power in your words and actions to influence others but this power can also be negative if you use it wrongly or improperly. It is the power to give respect to a homeless person on the street by acknowledging that you see them by saying a simple hello; it is the power to influence some one to keep moving forward with a difficult task because you believe in them and tell them that; it is the power to comfort those who have lost a loved one because you know the value of love; and it is the power to speak out for those who can’t speak out for themselves.
Power – you all have it – use it wisely because you never know what impact you have on other people even when you think otherwise.
1. set your goals – write them down, develop action plans with deadlines. One of the secrets of obtaining your goal is that the goal should be your passion, you should love working on it.
2. persevere – don’t be discouraged and give up when you face a roadblock. People I previously work with used to say that when I got something in my mind, I was like a dog after a bone. Well, how true they were. Looking back at the websites, I was determined. Every time the websites dropped in ranking, I would spend hours trying to figure out what I did wrong. I have enrolled in many courses to learn more to improve the site. I never gave up. Everything takes time, and sometimes, the test of time can determine your success. No matter what profession or what business you choose, no one is an overnight success. It takes time, perseverance and hard work.
Thanks Les for taking the time to comment on this. The only question I have is trying to figure out the connection to the breaking news subject matter and this man’s seminar experience? Maybe I’m just not seeing it?