Global Citizen
I was listening to Carl Pullein's The Working With podcast episode with NLP expert Damon Cart where the duo discussed how words affect our mindset and behaviours. Halfway through the conversation, they were talking about how much the “news” affects our mental health without us being aware of its effects on us.
I remember watching a YouTube video where Denzel Washington says, if you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read it, you are misinformed. I have to agree with Denzel. I jokingly say, the BBC starts their news bulletin with “Good Morning / Afternoon / Evening” and go on to ruin it. One cannot blame the news outlets. In the hyper-competitive market for viewer attention and the need to be first, there is no news reporting based on facts and figures (with a little room for human biases), just sensationalised opinions of the news outlet and what is good for their agenda and the bottom line.
As an observer of the news, I have found that the “triggering” words and phrases used to describe despicable acts committed by an individual or a group of individuals with higher melanin pigmentation are different from the group or individual with no melanin pigmentation. Human beings are meant to fight amongst each other. It's how we try to gain an illusion of control and survive against real and sometimes made-up dangers. But, it doesn't have to be that way. And, not all is doom and gloom.
When one realises these hyper-sensational headlines, crooked politicians and crony capitalists are just using borders and nation-states for their own benefits, we start to see ourselves as global citizens. There will always be bad people. But, we do, at times, see beyond borders. And, that is the world we all need to strive for.
— Ridwan Always happy to Discuss... or Reply via email