A New Way to Consume the News
Do you watch or read the news? What comes to mind when you think of the news? For many, images of suffering come to mind: wild fires, protests, armed conflict, humans inflicting damage on each other in an array of forms, illness, poverty…. With each story we read or watch, we may feel ourselves becoming depleted, and there may be a pervading sense of hopelessness.
One solution to this is strategic withdrawal: we can limit the amount of time that we spend consuming the news. But completely shutting ourselves off to what is going on in the world isn’t necessarily a wise option, particularly for those of us who live in democracies and have the responsibility of being informed citizens.
There is another strategy. When we witness suffering in the process of informing ourselves about the world’s goings on, we can offer up a wish for an end to that suffering. “May you be safe again”, “may you feel the care of your neighbors”, “may there be peace for us all”, “may your needs be met”….
This small step of wishing for an end to others’ suffering moves us from an empathic state, where we feel the suffering of others, to a compassionate state. Empathy lights up the pain regions of our brain and depletes us, leaving us exhausted, worn down, lacking hope. Compassion activates the reward center of the brain, releasing dopamine (which motivates us), oxytocin (which stimulates emotional bonding) and serotonin (a mood enhancer). The net result is a sense of being resilient, uplifted and connected.
As with all practices, this is a chance to experiment and explore. We invite you to take it for a spin and let us know how it goes. And it’s always helpful to remember that we ourselves are just as deserving of compassion as others are. Turning off the TV, closing the laptop, placing a hand on the heart and the other hand on top of that one, sensing in to the rise and fall of the chest, and maybe offering the wish, “May I feel at ease” can shift the moment (and it’s healthier than the bowl of ice cream we might turn to to feel better! : ).
May all beings everywhere, without exception, feel resilient, uplifted and connected,
Your friends at CMP
We Need Your Support
CMP thrives on donations. All of our weekly sessions are free and open to the public, but donations are essential to our sustainability. CMP is a licensed charity in the state of CT as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Checks can be given to facilitators at our weekly sits or mailed to Community Mindfulness Project, P.O. Box 1713, New Canaan, CT 06840. Credit cards are accepted in the Giving section of the website (www.CommunityMindfulnessProject.org). For donations of wired funds or appreciated securities, please email welcome@communitymind.org. Thank you!
