Last week a friend posted her exasperation at bad news overload: “It is all just TOO much.” Her commenters agreed: “Well said.” “…too much craziness.” She vowed to limit her media intake.
Fortunately, we get a bad news reprieve around Thanksgiving with predictable stories of dinners served, families reunited, and the less predictable rescue animals at hockey games.
Fortunately, we get a bad news reprieve around Thanksgiving with predictable stories of dinners served, families reunited, and the less predictable rescue animals at hockey games.
Unfortunately, reading and hearing an overabundance of bad news drags us down. Yet we’re drawn to it. Bad news sells. We prefer it because knowing possible dangers protects us (it’s an amygdala thing). We know “if it bleeds, it leads,” and we also know this:
An overbalance of bad news distorts our perception of the world.
In his 2012 TED talk, Peter Diamandis describes our potential to overcome our problems and make the world a better place. It’s been happening throughout the last century and into the current one. Today, people live longer healthier lives, enjoy higher incomes and lower cost utilities, have access to better education, and live in the world’s most peaceful time.
Diamandis focuses on technology as a means for increasing global education, communication and productivity. While I agree that technology promote these advances, I know that it always comes back to people.
My work with nonprofit organizations gives me a glimpse at the entrenched problems of our community as well as the good people who are addressing them. The determination and perseverance of the human spirit demonstrated by so many gives me hope.
We can tap this deep vein of resilience and hope through acceptance: opening ourselves to one another, acknowledging our differences and working together to address matters greater than ourselves.
When speaking of abundant energy, Diamandis says, “It’s not about being scarce, it’s about accessibility.” This is also true for human and community potential.
May we open ourselves to access this enormous potential for good.
Quote
Small teams, driven by their passion and focus, can do extraordinary things. Peter Diamandis
Web
Watch Peter Diamandis describe how abundance is our future (watch now)
An overbalance of bad news distorts our perception of the world.
In his 2012 TED talk, Peter Diamandis describes our potential to overcome our problems and make the world a better place. It’s been happening throughout the last century and into the current one. Today, people live longer healthier lives, enjoy higher incomes and lower cost utilities, have access to better education, and live in the world’s most peaceful time.
Diamandis focuses on technology as a means for increasing global education, communication and productivity. While I agree that technology promote these advances, I know that it always comes back to people.
My work with nonprofit organizations gives me a glimpse at the entrenched problems of our community as well as the good people who are addressing them. The determination and perseverance of the human spirit demonstrated by so many gives me hope.
We can tap this deep vein of resilience and hope through acceptance: opening ourselves to one another, acknowledging our differences and working together to address matters greater than ourselves.
When speaking of abundant energy, Diamandis says, “It’s not about being scarce, it’s about accessibility.” This is also true for human and community potential.
May we open ourselves to access this enormous potential for good.
Quote
Small teams, driven by their passion and focus, can do extraordinary things. Peter Diamandis
Web
Watch Peter Diamandis describe how abundance is our future (watch now)