Penn of Denn

I think one of my New Year’s resolutions this year will be: less news. I really don’t think the world is getting worse, I think the news services are simply getting better at telling us how bad things are.

I came to that conclusion this past week, as the cable news described in detail a fatal domestic shooting…in California. A tragedy no doubt, compounded by the fact that the shooter was dressed as Santa, but it had happened on the other side of the continent. But because the carnage is delivered fresh to our living room, it makes us fearful that our world is not as safe or as ordered as it once was.

The old news adage, “If it bleeds, it leads”, apparently is still true, but on a much larger scale. Twenty years ago the same things happened in far off places, but they were irrelevant to our everyday lives, because we didn’t hear about them.

So this year I am going to watch less of the lurid news from afar and try to focus on those things that are close to home; things that are true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.