Human interest

In doing my morning pages today -- an exercise from The Artist's Way -- I wound up thinking about how distorted my view of the world can be when all I see are headlines, whether in newspapers or on cable television or online. This carefully selected, highly marketable report of the world represents a tiny, tiny fragment of what is actually going on out there. (I realize that this tiny fragment may well have an impact far disproportionate, even so.)

The world does not consist entirely of crazy politicians, of murderers, of terrorists, of child molesters. It is mostly ordinary public servants, going quietly about their jobs; health care professionals routinely saving lives using amazing technology and keen insights into the human condition; people building houses for the homeless and running food pantries for the hungry and teaching children to read and write and play peacefully together; parents loving and protecting and nurturing their children, whether adopted or fostered or born to them. It is people smiling at strangers, hugging a grieving friend, congratulating a successful companion. It is the tired woman at the checkout counter waiting patiently while an elderly customer counts out exact change with arthritic fingers.

These latter stories, of course, may make it into the human interest section of the paper or the local news. But they are considered soft news.

And then I wondered whether all the other stuff, the big-bucks-generating so-called hard news is perhaps inhuman interest. It appeals perhaps to some part of us that is least human. 

This is not a plug for closing our eyes to the evil in the world that we must strive to confront and change. I know it is out there and I know that people suffer unduly and unjustly because of it and something must be done about it! But even so ...

I remember a quote attributed to Mr. Rogers: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'" 

I want to look for the helpers ... and maybe learn how to be one myself. 

Just a thought.