It seems to me that over the past few decades society, and for that matter the media which promotes what it feels are societies' ideals, has become overly imbued with fear. When you read through the news, most of what you hear sets your heart spinning, the stock market is tumbling, economies across the world are floundering, there are increases in child abductions, and no one can be trusted. That is all without mentioning the sex scandals and idiotic trials that are treated with such fanfare you would think a new queen was about to be crowned. I'm sorry, but what kind of message is being portrayed and pushed on society? The more we as a individuals read and absorb the news stories and events around the world, the more the media and society are pushing us to conform to their ideals that we are weak, there are killers out there, and we should follow what everyone else is doing. It is a cycle that is in a downward spiral, perpetuated by our need to see blood and negativity on the TV or in the paper. The more we crave it, the more the media will give it to us. Is it out there? Yes, but it was out there 50 years ago as well and yet it didn't have the effect that it did on the people living in the 50's as it does on our current population. Granted, technology has changed and there are endless avenues for us to keep updated on the latest news clips and information, but it is our decision to utilize these technological devices to perpetuate this cycle. No one is forcing us to pick up our BlackBerry or iPhone and check the latest news clips or stock market cycles. We have invariably been conditioned to think that unless we keep up with the latest sex scandal or political debacle, we will fall behind and society will leave us in the dust. People, it seems, have forgotten to live their own lives. They feel the need now to be connected to everyone and everything, regardless of the toll it takes on their mentality and well being. What this amounts to is a larger and larger number of people conforming, sometimes unwittingly, to societies ideals and messages, and knowingly or not, transferring those ideals into their personal and professional lives.
This is not to say that we should not keep up with the news or what is happening in the world. I feel that it is important for us to know what is going on in the world. However, there is a fine line at which the news about the world comes to have an effect on us. It is one thing to read about the news, it is another to transfer that message into our own lives and let it affect how we live our daily lives. If we let the news instill with us a sense of fear about society and the economy, then are lives will become depressed and hinged upon what happens tomorrow, next week, or next month. What few of us have come to forget is that none of us are guaranteed to be here tomorrow. For all we know the apocalypse could happen tonight and half the world will vanish. (Trust me, I don't buy into that, its just an example). We could get hit by a car and pass away. We never know what will happen. So when we buy into the ideal that we should live our life by what happens down the road, we will invariably live in fear because the future is uncertain. This is what society and the media want us to believe. They want us to live our lives in fear so that we conform to those around us, hunker down in our living rooms and flip on the news in the evening to see if the world will be OK tomorrow. Once you open the door to fear and negativity, it has a way of slipping in, grabbing hold of your consciousness and maintaining a grip on you that is incredibly hard to rid yourself of. The more we live our lives in fear, the more we all lose a little bit of our uniqueness and succumb to the parasite that is society. Look around you every day, you can see it in the faces of the majority of people. They are not happy, they are increasingly self-centered, and they aren't really living.
The only day we are guaranteed is today. Society would have us believe otherwise, but we have at least today to live. So why not start living then? Stop concerning yourself with tomorrow and how society will affect you. The only thing you have control over is your own mentality and the way you choose to live your life. If you choose to conform to societies' ideals, then by all means, go ahead, my message will have fallen on deaf ears. If by chance, though, you choose to live today for what it is, then start making a change in your perception of things. Not everything is negative in the world. The media and society may cast the world in an increasingly negative hue, but it is how we respond to it that makes a difference. Are there are lot of horrible things happening out there? Absolutely, I read a few articles this morning about rioting in London, double-dip recessions, market turmoil; and I could have written a response to any of those (trust me, I had some ready), but I chose not to. Why? Because as much as I enjoy writing a response to those issues, today is not a day in which I choose to let the negativity invade my life for any second. It creeps in every now and then, but I know when I can handle it and when I can't. If I let it in today, my whole day probably would have been a downer. It is all in how we deal with what we read and see that makes a difference. I struggle with it on a daily basis. It is not easy to keep the negativity out, but it is possible. All we need to do is actually make an effort and not give away our backbones to society. Today, as negative as the news may be about the world, live your own life. Appreciate those around you, enjoy what the day has to offer, and don't even think about tomorrow. We are never guaranteed two days in a row to live, only one if that. Every moment in our lives matters and I for one would much rather live my own life than conform to society and live my life in fear and anxiety. What will you choose to do?
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