On Friday, March 15 in New Zealand, there was a shooting at two mosques in the city of Christchurch. The death toll has risen to over 50 people. A 28-year-old Australian man was charged with murder. New Zealand’s Prime Minister promises that the laws surrounding semi-automatic guns will change. The loss of the 50 people will be mourned in New Zealand and around the world.
As the world seems to become darker and darker everyday, it is important to remember to stay positive. We are too young to be crippled by fear. It seems more and more that news and other media outlets are trying to latch onto our fear and use it against us. Whenever the news or radio is turned on, it is almost as if the media is screaming “Stay inside, the outside is a dangerous place.” It is as though they want us to stay confined in our homes. Have the news media CEOs just started watching Game of Thrones and decided that “winter is coming” for us?
Look up from your screens and see the sky: winter has just ended; Earth is ready for the first buds to break through the soil’s surface. It is spring again. We can’t ignore the bad things that happen completely, but we must not surrender to constant media panic attacks. Yes, we must recognize the real threats to our security, but we need not allow this to harm our well-being. Turning off the “buzz” of the twenty-four news cycle and concentrating on what really matters to you and your family and friends will do more for the world than joining the news-mad noisemakers.
You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to think about doom. Turning off the news channel doesn’t mean you have to stop thinking and learning. Don’t dwell on what you have no control over, and recognize that you aren’t part of the problem if you are being positive. This doesn’t mean being so cheerful that the corners of your mouth ache from smiling. It just means taking a step back, a deep breath, and then going ahead with your day. You’ll get through it. The sky isn’t falling!