I CANNOT believe how much I am drawn to drama and troubling news. I mean, like seriously?! Here I am, aspiring to maintain a good attitude and live a life free from negativity … and yet I can’t help but read and talk about unsettling things. I’m not referring to conversations intended for education or problem-solving. No, I’m talking about what the media presents as newsworthy and entertaining – the information they deem important and “know-worthy” often revolves around grim circumstances and dysfunctional behaviors.
Great sources for this content include the internet, television, and radio; they are all overflowing with it.
But it doesn’t stop there. I also caught my ears perking up when I heard that a neighbor was taken away in handcuffs by the police and put on a 72-hour hold. That gave me fodder for many extensive discussions. If I had been told instead that he was picked up by a limousine for a spa treatment, I would probably have simply said, “Good for him.”
I am quite baffled by this discovery. Well, actually, it’s more like I’m shocked.
It doesn’t even FEEL GOOD to hear about all the drama. Sure, at first it may seem satisfying, but underneath my captivated exterior, my heart races, my muscles tense, and I feel emotionally agitated and uneasy. What’s worse is that this unpleasant feeling haunts me long after I hear these stories.
I’m not entirely sure how all this fascination with drama started. How did I get to the point where I savor the moment in such a backwards way?!
I guess other people’s hardships can serve as cautionary tales. They might console me and make me more appreciative of my own circumstances. Something along the lines of: “Look at their misery! I better make sure I don’t end up like that!” Or: “I’m actually not that bad off. Look at them, they are really cursed by fate.”
I have no idea if that strategy has ever worked or if it was even a good strategy to begin with. But it’s definitely backfiring now.
Hearing about all the bad things that happen does NOT make me appreciate the good things in my life, nor is it comforting. On the contrary, it makes me even more anxious and depressed than I already am. As for serving as cautionary tales – if anything, they caution me to beware – not to be aware.
Given how hooked I can get into drama and troubling news, it might be a good idea to stay away from them altogether for a while. Of course, that’s not really an option. Stuff happens.
If only I could at least give as much attention to the good stuff as I do to the bad. That would be challenging enough! Saying “Good for him” doesn’t exactly sound like an icebreaker for a lengthy discussion. But it does have all the makings to end a dull conversation. In other words, talking about good stuff is not my flavor of the month.
Who would have thought that the obstacle to a good life is the good life itself!? I mean, if it’s even too boring to talk about it … 😂
Brigitte K. Schneider
aka Ms. Upside Down
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