Quicksilver

News Views

What's on the News is not reality. "Reality" TV shows are not reality. What's around you, all day, everyday, now that is your reality, but of course, it may or may not even resemble mine. And I doubt it regularly makes the evening news.

I wish it was as easy to locate good news as it is to locate bad. There's plenty of good news, but it doesn't seem to make a reporter's blood race in quite the same way as death or destruction.

There are hundreds of thousands of churches in America but an article on one with an 80% tithe requirement is the one that hits the presses. A few errant priests in a few parishes apparently spoil the whole lot? No one wants to talk about all the other churches and their activities like feeding and clothing the poor, company and crafts for the elderly, comfort and aid to shut-ins, giving young people someplace to be besides on the street and in trouble.

There are hundreds of thousands of schools in America but the only time we hear about any of them is once in a while when the goals slide or one screwed up kid royally screws up with a gun. No one wants to hear how millions of young people are safe as they are groomed to be job-ready or college-ready, not to mention extra programs that give kids a chance to see, be and do exciting things to expand their horizons and life opportunities.

Millions of Americans are going out of their way, continuously, to be nice to each other, to help the young and the elderly, to yield in traffic forgoodnesssakes, aiding the infirm and the poor and the everyday folk who just have their hands too full to open a door... but what we hear about is gang war or a guy going 'postal' at a quickmart.

And more amazing than that... the small SMALL snippets of ugly American life, the single digit percentage of over 250 MILLION Americans... is what the rest of the world uses to judge America.

I don't get it. I just don't. If I read what other countries are reading about the US, I don't recognize my own country. Makes me wonder why people around the world are so hot to get into this den of iniquity, huh?

I look for Light and Joy. That's what I choose to see. My life has been light and joyful. Everything around me looks just peachy. I've lived in three states. It's been fine in all of them. I've visited nearly all the contiguous states, even been to the big bad apple New York City, and Los Angeles and Chicago, all with reputations for bad news. All of it's just fine. YES, there are some rough spots but they're spots, not the whole garment. Man-oh-man this is a fantastic country... sea to shining sea. It brings me joy to be a part of it.

"No News Is Good News." It sure seems that way. I wish we'd change that.

06.09.2001

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