No news is good news
Have you noticed how the news channels are often out of touch with readers, listeners and viewers?
I first thought about this a few weeks ago when the BBC News homepage led its ‘Top stories’ with a report that the USA and China had finally ratified the Paris agreement to curb climate-warming emissions – something that I thought was pretty important and long-overdue.
Now I’m quite a busybody and usually click on ‘Most read’ to see what others are reading. That day, the USA/China story did not even make the top 10! The most-read story was something like ‘Premier League footballer arrested after night club brawl’.
It’s the same in the social media. Sometimes I post a link to my rant of the day. ‘Friends’ seem unimpressed by alarming statistics, awarding ‘nil point’ Likes. On the other hand, when I posted a photo of my tall son and me (short) the Likes went into meltdown.
I have concluded that most people are fed up with bad news about things they feel powerless to influence. Instead they focus on family, friends and what’s going on where they live.
Recently, I was inspired to overhaul how I spend my day, prompted by ‘The Perfect Day Plan’, a book by Jost Sauer, an Australian/German author. It’s based on traditional Chinese medicine that Jost says breaks your day into 12 two-hour segments, each linked to an organ. Well I’m not sure that I followed all that, but the general gist of it has impressed me. Apart from better regulating my day and sleep, Jost offers yummy recipes for porridge and pancakes that have revamped my breakfast and discouraged snacking. What’s not to like about that? See www.jostsauer.com.
An unexpected benefit of Jost’s Perfect Day Plan is that I no longer have time in the morning to listen to BBC’s Today programme. Out the window goes one stream of bilge. Instead, I get the news occasionally in short bursts and in a leisurely read of a Saturday newspaper. Which leaves me more time to keep in touch with friends and family.
Sorry, but I can’t remember the name of that fun-filled night club.
Editor