Just stop it already!

There are times when I seriously think I would love to run away to a small village in a remote part of the world that had no big box stores, highways filled with cars, cell phone towers, or anything that made me feel connected to the outside world. My need to escape can come from a variety of situations. I find myself wanting to tell people to “just stop it”. Why are you still talking about what you have to do, and how exhausted you are, or what a mess the world is in. Then there’s the horrors of multiple shootings that seem to be happening with more frequency, incivility which is becoming rampant, and media which seems to focus on celebrating stupidity. Do I sound cranky? Well, I am! I feel that my optimistic nature is being eroded by a world that seems to want to focus on the dark side. I have felt lately that I may be in need of a mood makeover, however, I am thankful to still have the ability to reframe some of my feelings by interjecting  thoughts that enable me to feel that human beings are essentially striving towards decency, kindness, and compassion. We often forget  the aforementioned  in lieu of a constant barrage of information that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. I don’t know where that phrase originated but I can’t fathom how a billion or so people are going to fit into a basket that’s on fire. In fact if we look back in time it’s a miracle that the human race still exists. There have been many periods of mayhem throughout the centuries but the reports of rape and pillaging took years to get to different parts of the world. Today, everyone has a camera, and they all want their fifteen minutes of fame. If you’re mugged, you can rest assured that someone will be sending your picture to a TV station. Toddlers can take pictures now. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an infant with a camera at the end of his bottle. Why not? He might get a shot of a bank robbery and get on the evening news. The parents could get a book deal and a reality show and voila his education is paid for. Well, I think it’s time to take my own advice; watch less news, read less news, sit in the garden more often, watch the cat staring into space, and spend less time with anyone that resembles an energy vampire.