Tragedy, heartbreak, death, and sadness have become well-known occurrences in today’s world. Don’t believe me? Go to a news site and look at the headlines. “2 girls die in high school shooting,” “Columbine killer’s mom speaks,” and “Couple beheaded at daycare” just to name a few. It’s sick, but do you know what’s sicker? We’re used to it.
Mass shootings have become normal, deadly car crashes get one look, and hearing of suicides comes every other week. As a society, we are no longer phased by the sadness and tragedy of the world around us. It’s expected.
Sure, you see tweets from people that say “Praying” or “My thoughts are with those affected,” but do they really mean that? Are they really praying and are they really thinking about the people who have to face the terrible aftermath of the tragedy at hand? In most cases, the answer is no.
Saying these things is just a mechanism of coping with what’s happening. We try to logically tell ourselves that if we pray and say we are there for someone, it will make things better. In that moment it may help, but it does not solve the underlying issue at hand: This is becoming too common.
Or is it? Is tragedy happening much more often than in past years? Or is it just more publicized?
News stations thrive off of the emotional impact that these negative “stories” have on people. If you sit down and watch the news, you will not go one minute without hearing of some sort of death or murder. They act as if negative stories are the only ones that appeal to people. I’m here to prove that wrong.
Have you heard about the brave Iron Boy? Or what Raghav Sehtia spent his time doing over winter break? What about what a group of high school students did for their teacher on his birthday?
These kind of stories warm my heart. They make me feel happy. They make me feel like the world is actually an amazing place filled with amazing people. So why are they not publicized as much as stories of tragedy and heartbreak?
Because they do not get as much attention.
It’s terrible isn’t it? We, as a people, drive news stations to focus on the bad rather than the good because we tend to pay more attention to the sad, tragic news stories. It’s human nature. It’s disgusting and I hate it.
This world is beautiful, and it’s filled with beautiful, caring people. If you’re like me and want to see more of that, then here are a few sites that focus on the positive:
http://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
http://www.today.com/news/good-news
http://abcnews.go.com/US/Good_News
