No Good News

I don’t watch much TV and for years I haven’t watched the news at all. It has meant my mental health has become much better.

But a few years ago, we found a programme that came on while we sat eating our dinner. It was hilarious. We couldn’t wait for each new episode to see what the MC, a bumbling old fool, could come up with next. You couldn’t write this stuff, and if you did, people would say it was too far-fetched.

The programme was CNN and the MC was Donald Trump.

When Biden got into power, the soap opera became boring and we stopped watching. Fast forward to a year ago, and I sat in bewilderment as Trump was elected for a second term. Surely, they had seen this man wear stupidity with pride. Did they really think he was going to be a good choice?

Turns out, he wasn’t.

Despite not watching the news, I can’t escape the reports, eye-witness accounts, and posts of those caught in a dystopian nightmare. I have friends in the US who are terrified of what is happening, genuinely fearing for their lives or the lives of loved ones. The world stage feels like it’s about to collapse into a hell-on-earth.

And maybe it is.

I’m doom scrolling, which is not healthy. I’m anxious for my friends and worried about the future, which is not good for my own mental health. I am heartbroken about the people who are being beaten, tortured and killed. I need to take a step back and refocus, because there is nothing I can do about the situation in USA, Ukraine, Israel, Korea or Venezuela.

First, I am praying. At this point I want to point out that the so-called Christians in the bible-belt are not following the teachings of the God they claim to serve. Jesus told us to love our neighbours, welcome the stranger, give to those less fortunate, serve with humility, open our homes to those in need.

Matthew 7:21-23 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

I am praying to the God who is great in mercy, who loves justice, and who is a friend to the friendless. I am putting my faith and trust in Him, knowing that whatever happens, I am safe in his care.

I am not going to doomscroll on social media. The algorithms are going to take a while to adjust, because I have been reading a lot of Trump related posts, but I hope that as I ignore and silence them, my feed will reflect a more balanced perspective of the world, with all its goodness and beauty.

And I will be thankful for all the blessings I have, focusing on that instead of events outside my control.

I do care about you, America, but I’m not going to have a ringside seat as your country descends into chaos and civil war. Because it’s not funny any more.