Top News Stories and Their Effect On You
Talking with Henrietta - December 20, 2012
Each day or week, there is a news story that invariably captivates us. We're not all affected by the same news story and we're not all affected the same way. But there are news events that grab our attention and many for good reasons.
Some of the headline stories get our sympathy. There are others that stretch our credibility and challenge our imaginations. While there are still others that are so horrendous that they fall into all of the above categories.
The events that pushed Pres. Obama to call for stricter gun control laws fall into the last category. The murders in Newtown, Connecticut; the shootings in Aurora, Colorado; the murders at Virginia Tech and all of the other gun massacres in the U.S. grab the national headlines and the nation's attention.
News headliners like Lance Armstrong leave us questioning the moral fiber of the country and our athletes and calling for a change in other laws or in how various things are done.
Each news story has the potential to move us in some way. We can make the choice to get more information, to take action in direct response to the issue the story presents or to do nothing.
News and information give us choices. Having choices can be empowering.
What if, as we read a news story, we consider how we can potentially use the information it presents. Of course, how we use the information is up to us. If nothing else, each story we read gives us insight into the world around us.
What are we doing with the information we get each day, with the insights we are receiving? How does this information affect our values and our perceptions of the world around us? When looked at from this perspective, news stories aren't just stories that we read, they become catalysts for generating new ideas and wellsprings that motivate us to take personal and collective action.
If this is indeed the case, then take a news story that you read this week or this month and see how you can use it to make a difference in the world around you or in any life that your life touches.
