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"God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other."
Yes, New England Girl, I'm on the same page. I've a personal news black-out in certain areas such as global news and often U.S. politics--too aggravating or too depressing--and sometimes, both.
While I rarely watch the world news, I do follow the news in my community. In fact, I've become more of a community activist since moving to my small town. I've come to believe that this Margaret Mead quote is true:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
So far, we citizens have preserved a grove of ancient oaks from being cut down to pave a parking lot and have prevented a molten sulfur melting plant from being constructed. Before we arrived, citizens had worked together to prevent other ecological and environmental disasters in the making from happening here.
I think watching too much new that we ourselves feel powerless to change or impact leads to frustration/depression. But lending a hand in our own communities is empowering.
There was a disc jockey named Scoop Nisker in the SF Bay area who used to sign off by saying, "If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own." Not a bad suggestion.
Yes, New England Girl, I'm on the same page. I've a personal news black-out in certain areas such as global news and often U.S. politics--too aggravating or too depressing--and sometimes, both.
While I rarely watch the world news, I do follow the news in my community. In fact, I've become more of a community activist since moving to my small town. I've come to believe that this Margaret Mead quote is true:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
So far, we citizens have preserved a grove of ancient oaks from being cut down to pave a parking lot and have prevented a molten sulfur melting plant from being constructed. Before we arrived, citizens had worked together to prevent other ecological and environmental disasters in the making from happening here.
I think watching too much new that we ourselves feel powerless to change or impact leads to frustration/depression. But lending a hand in our own communities is empowering.
There was a disc jockey named Scoop Nisker in the SF Bay area who used to sign off by saying, "If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own." Not a bad suggestion.
Your post was uplifting! Thank you for sharing those wonderful quotes.
This would be me.
After 30 years of being heavily involved in local, state, and even national politics, I realized that
1) The more you do for others, the more they expect
2) The harder you work for others, the less inclined they are to work for themselves
3) No matter how much you help people, no matter how desperate they are to have a rallying point or person, once you actually accomplish the goals they have stated that they wanted - they insist that that was not what they wanted at all.
Ultimately, most people want a birth-to-death nanny, whom not only feeds, clothes, and houses them, but is a willing scapegoat to kick around when they can't have it. People for the most part are not interested in facts and truth, but in pretty lies that make them feel all better about themselves. They would rather argue about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin than get off their azzes and actually ask an angel to dance. They prefer to be ignorant and lied to, while insisting on "hearing the truth". They have dreams of "being somebody!" - as long as it takes no effort on their part, and they can find some stooge to hand it to them on a silver platter, not interrupting their Reality TV viewing. If your own life is nothing but hard work, on call 24/7 and going from job to job, meeting to meeting - they will insist that somehow you have the time and energy to be tumbling about in bed with all the members of the opposite sex that you meet, often against their will, and stealing from whatever Treasury you are guarding and trying to fill for their benefit.
So - I quit. I walked away. I bought a farm in the middle of nowhere, and now I work a menial job where no one knows anything about my previous life. I have friends that don't care about the pictures on my walls of me with past and current Presidential candidates or elected officials, who don't notice when I'm not wearing $500 dresses or that I'm wearing the same clothes and shoes over and over again. About the only thing I can use my 3-inch spike heels for now is to aereate the yard. I wear boots and sneakers, jeans and flannel, and often smell of sweat and cow poop - but its ok because so does everyone else I know. Today we take our first home-raised steer to the butcher to be processed, and I am proud of that. I provide eggs to my neighbors, and DH works on their small engines and does woodworking. I can throw a saddle on my horse and ride all day, or make a baby quilt for a friend, and no one tells me anymore that I have to be out there saving themselves from themselves.
Several weeks ago a friend was going around town telling everyone that I needed to be on the Town Board. I told him to shaddup. An old high school friend showed me his business card once - on one side it said, "F*** 'Em" in beautiful Edwardian script. On the other side it said, "F*** them ALL". That is EXACTLY how I feel.
Yes, New England Girl, I'm on the same page. I've a personal news black-out in certain areas such as global news and often U.S. politics--too aggravating or too depressing--and sometimes, both.
While I rarely watch the world news, I do follow the news in my community. In fact, I've become more of a community activist since moving to my small town. I've come to believe that this Margaret Mead quote is true:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
So far, we citizens have preserved a grove of ancient oaks from being cut down to pave a parking lot and have prevented a molten sulfur melting plant from being constructed. Before we arrived, citizens had worked together to prevent other ecological and environmental disasters in the making from happening here.
I think watching too much new that we ourselves feel powerless to change or impact leads to frustration/depression. But lending a hand in our own communities is empowering.
There was a disc jockey named Scoop Nisker in the SF Bay area who used to sign off by saying, "If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own." Not a bad suggestion.
Yes I'm coming to the view of putting blinders on to the larger world and doing one or two constructive things locally, but not necessarily advocating for anything. Just straight help where it's needed, a few hours a week.
Yes, New England Girl, I'm on the same page. I've a personal news black-out in certain areas such as global news and often U.S. politics--too aggravating or too depressing--and sometimes, both.
While I rarely watch the world news, I do follow the news in my community. In fact, I've become more of a community activist since moving to my small town. I've come to believe that this Margaret Mead quote is true:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
So far, we citizens have preserved a grove of ancient oaks from being cut down to pave a parking lot and have prevented a molten sulfur melting plant from being constructed. Before we arrived, citizens had worked together to prevent other ecological and environmental disasters in the making from happening here.
I think watching too much new that we ourselves feel powerless to change or impact leads to frustration/depression. But lending a hand in our own communities is empowering.
There was a disc jockey named Scoop Nisker in the SF Bay area who used to sign off by saying, "If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own." Not a bad suggestion.
Great post. I'm somewhat of a news junkie, so I do keep informed. But you're right that people can change things. I live in NJ and last year our governor was going to cut library funding by 70%! I'm a big advocate of libraries, and this didn't sit well with me. Libraries throughout the state started collecting signatures of people opposed to the cuts and hand delivered millions of them to Trenton. It made a big difference. While funding was cut, it was way less than 70%.
I also take a course on current topics at a college with a program for older adults. The county that the college is in had been gerrymandered to the point that there were no state legislators representing it, since it was chopped up into many tiny pieces. The people in my course as well as several others at the school got involved - sending letters to a redistricting commission and testifying before it. Guess what - they won - this district will get its own senator next year.
Getting involved in issues like this is really very gratifying and gives me a little hope that change is possible.
Great post. I'm somewhat of a news junkie, so I do keep informed. But you're right that people can change things. I live in NJ and last year our governor was going to cut library funding by 70%! I'm a big advocate of libraries, and this didn't sit well with me. Libraries throughout the state started collecting signatures of people opposed to the cuts and hand delivered millions of them to Trenton. It made a big difference. While funding was cut, it was way less than 70%.
I also take a course on current topics at a college with a program for older adults. The county that the college is in had been gerrymandered to the point that there were no state legislators representing it, since it was chopped up into many tiny pieces. The people in my course as well as several others at the school got involved - sending letters to a redistricting commission and testifying before it. Guess what - they won - this district will get its own senator next year.
Getting involved in issues like this is really very gratifying and gives me a little hope that change is possible.
Yes! It's that little piece of hope that's so gratifying...and keeps me from falling in a dark pit of despair. We can and do matter. Think globally and act locally...
Most of the discussion thus far has been about the political environment impacting most of the World. Greed, corruption, class warfare, social division and the list goes on and on. Do we have any politicians with the knowledge and political guts to tackle our enormous problems. I haven't seen it yet, so I will just tune them all out until someone receives the nomination for President from their respective parties. Then like usual, I will go to the polls and say eenie, miney, moe and pick one.
I do and always will pay constant attention to the World's financial concerns. Daily, I read media web sites, reports, articles and blogs concerning the financial crisis that the Western World is experiencing. Yes, I do read a doom & gloom blog daily. I have had a life long interest in real estate, so I always stay abreast of what is going on in that sector.
I believe staying abreast of the real estate market and a little common sense is what saved me from being a victim of the crash in Arizona. I had been reading for a couple of years before the crash that storm clouds were brewing. Information that was not reported in the main stream media and certainly not reported by realtors or lenders.
In this fragile financial environment, I think it more important than ever to keep yourself informed as to what is happening in the World
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