Why do the negative thoughts in my mind seem to surface so easily while I must intentionally focus on the positive? I’ve noticed this as I make my way to work each morning. I am alive and living in bounty. I am driving a nice car and am headed for steady employment. I have a loving wife and two beautiful daughters (and an outstanding new son-in-law). This should all add up to a state of perpetual giddiness, but instead I find my thoughts drifting toward everything that seems wrong.
I am in the habit of watching the local news as I am getting ready for work, and of watching the national news with my evening meal. Could this be influencing my outlook more than I realize? I justify my practice by believing that a good citizen must assume the responsibility of being well-informed, but what a journalism professor once said is so very true, “Dog bites boy! That’s not news. Boy bites dog! Now that’s news!” What am I to do with the inundation of information about the war in Iraq, the corruption of our government, and the warming of our planet? As I said, it seems irresponsible to just ignore these things but giving them any attention at all seems to give them mental dominance.
I want to have a more positive outlook on things. Still, I don’t want to be Pollyannaish in my world view. Is the cup half empty or half full? The truth is that it is both. To regard it in any other way is skewed. I don’t think that I’m ready just yet to give up my daily news fix, but I must learn to balance it with the wonder and awe of something like Rachel and Steve’s wedding. Their marriage is a very hopeful thing, and it is just as real as anything that generates despair. Whether I like it or not, it sounds to me like I’m embarking upon a journey of conscientious discipline.
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