Why I Don't Watch Television News

It's not to say I never watch the news, as when a big story hits, it's the easiest way to get instant images of what's going on. Beyond the extreme stories, however, I avoid television news shows altogether. Why?

While it is very important to stay abreast of what's going on in the world, all information can be found on the internet at will. On the internet, you can pick and choose the stories you want to know more about, and read whatever stories or watch whatever videos you please in reference. Television news is dead. They just haven't buried the corpse yet. First of all, it maintains a linear, captive audience. You are at the whims of the producers, with whatever political leanings or agendas they may have, as to what you are exposed to and in their timeframe. Second, the news channels in particular are on a 24-hour news cycle, which, although seemingly a good idea when they first came to broadcast, is actually a horrible idea. There is not enough significant news to fill 24 hours. Ever. Even when there is a major crisis or story, they will simply repeat the same information every 10 or 15 minutes. Tedious at best. And when there is not a significant headlining story, they are left to their own devices to create news, which general entails obsessive reporting over a random murder or car chase. Valuable information? Not in the slightest. Nothing good comes from this type of unhelpful voyeurism. I would love it if they would be more positive and really build community by encouraging positive involvement, but I digress...

In time, the news channels will eventually accept their own mortality and give over to the internet. But considering the ways of corporations and the money to be made, their network deaths will be slow and painful. For us all.

The Art of Fog, Sunshine, and Cancer

During this morning's commute, I drove through quite a bit of fog. And it was beautiful. The sun was working its best to burn it off, and I could see the pale white disk of the sun beyond the misty, leafless trees. The silhouettes of the trees in the fog was like a gorgeous, dramatic painting. I thanked God for the art. It was truly lovely.

When I arrived at work and finally to my desk after a little catching up with co-workers, I looked out the windows. I was taken aback. The fog was completely gone and the sky was almost entirely blue, save a few clouds on the fringes. While I certainly don't suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, the blue sky certainly perked me up. It always does. The sunshine and wonderful shades of blue are both at the same time peaceful and energizing. I also thanked God for this art. It was uplifting.

Yesterday, I had an appointment with the surgeon who removed the tumor during my surgery last month. The lab finally came back with a result: neuroendocrine neoplasm. All that means is that it was a growth at the junction of the hormonal and nervous systems. My surgeon said it was very isolated and fully removed, but they still don't know exactly what it is, as neuroendocrine neoplasm is just a very generalized term. Yes, it's was a cancerous growth, which is just cells growing unchecked, but my surgeon is going to have to take my case to the surgical panel for further consult, as my case is extremely unique. They have never seen anything like it. Leave it to me to make it as complicated as possible. On the plus side, I may end up having a disease named after me. How's that for a legacy? ;o)

I'm not fretting. Nor should the people who love and care about me. God has already given me solace and I know I will be fine. I got all of my panic, craziness, and weak faith out of my system when the tumor was initially found. But so much good has come from that freak out, which was truly necessary to get me to a much better place. And I am. It has been almost poetic in how I have gone through this and have become a better person for it. I have been blessed. While I wouldn't call cancer art, I would say that the lessons from it have been beautiful. Thanks be to God.

I indeed have been incredibly blessed, as I have comfort from God that I will be fine. All of my prayers and concerns, however, are still with my family, as several members are still dealing with their own serious medical issues. Your prayers would also be greatly appreciated. Please, God, heal them.

Remember the Starfish

I am sure you are aware of the old tale of the guy who encounters many thousands of starfish washed up on the beach and finds a child picking them up one-by-one and tossing them back into the sea. The guy essentially tells the child that his efforts didn't make a difference, as he couldn't possibly save them all. As the child picks up another starfish and tosses it back into the sea, he says, "I made a difference to that one."

Sure, it's a little cheesy, but it is truth: every little act of goodness does make a difference, even if it is only to one person. I have had a great delusion going on for quite a while in that I really thought I could save the world. I really saw with clarity through God that we need to care for and deeply love one another and cherish and protect this wonderful planet. I actually thought a utopia was possible, if people truly opened their hearts to God, and to one another.

Unfortunately, God has reminded me, that as long as there is free will, there will be plenty of people who choose selfishness--or even evil--over the good of others. As long as people have free will, some will always try to ruin the good, wholesome, and beautiful. This is an extremely tough pill to swallow, but it has finally been ingested.

So what to do now, considering a perfect planet is literally unattainable? Give up? Nope. While my efforts may not change the world as a whole, or even influence society in the least, every good and positive thing I do (which can be as simple as a smile and a pleasant greeting), every positive and God-centered message I put out may influence someone for the better. And that hope, as dim as it feels sometimes, is worth the tedious task of tossing starfish back into the sea. One by one.

Living with Regrets

As a lifelong inept perfectionist, I have a long history of beating myself up over bad decisions and wrong choices. And I have plenty of them to lament.

My key issue regarding my regrets is with God. I know God can forgive anything, given one's desire to fully accept God's mercy, but I cannot forgive myself for some of the things I have done. I know I need to be able to, because if God can then I certainly should be able to, it's just some things in my past give me such shame, particularly those things that have involved hurting others, that I truly find it impossible. So how do I reconcile my inability to forgive myself with God's infinite mercy?

Prayer and reflection. I have spent a lot of time reflecting with God on this, and God has shared with me two things: 1.) I am a good person and am way too hard on myself (which in itself is hard to accept), and 2.) while I do not have to put my stamp of approval on my past, I must accept that through my bad choices, I have learned many important lessons and have become a much better person as a result. While I cannot erase the damage done, I can aid those I have hurt, and vow with my entire being to never repeat the sins of the past.

With this insight, I can be at peace with the past and live a life more closely with God's will for me. And that is overwhelmingly comforting.

The Importance of Faith

Ena Zizi was at a Roman Catholic prayer meeting when the 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. She was trapped under the rubble for seven days with a broken leg and dislocated hip, lying near two dead people, until she was rescued yesterday by a Mexican disaster team.

How did she get through it? "I talked only to my boss, God," she said. "I didn't need any more humans."

Faith is indeed an incredibly powerful thing, not just for our salvation, but for our survival. The power of prayer has been responsible for countless medical miracles. And several recent studies have indicated that people who have a relationship with God live three years or more longer than non-believers.

How is your relationship with God? If you're reading this, then it could use improvement. As long as we are on this Earth, there is always room for improvement in growing our relationship with our creator. I know mine is in perpetual need of improvement.

How does one grow in faith? I'm going to share my plan, which hopefully can help you, too, if you are open to wanting a deeper connection with God:

1. Study - read all you can from all different faiths. There is so much wonderful wisdom and depth to be discovered across the religious spectrum. Just be sure to use your own discernment and wisdom (with God's help) in seeing what is true and what is essentially window dressing.

2. Visit - go to religious institutions that you find interesting. Talk with the leaders, as most will be extremely welcoming to respectful inquiries.

3. Discuss - find people who are interested in theology and philosophy. People you already know may surprise you with their insights.

4. Pray - this is obviously the most important thing one can do to build one's relationship with God. Prayer and reflection are crucial in really finding God's truth that is located within each and every one of us.

5. Listen - God is perpetually--and I mean it--speaking to each of us. It's all about developing our listening skills. God speaks to us through our consciences, for sure, but God also speaks to us through other people. Stay aware of this at all times. God also communicates volumes to us through nature, as it is a very real and direct connection to God.

I most definitely need to grow in faith, which became crystal clear during my recent health scare, although I'm aware it is a lifelong journey to develop as deep a relationship as possible with God. I pray you find great success in deepening your relationship with God as well.


If you have ideas or things to share, please post your comments below:

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is quite easy, as the decades pass, to forget about how influential and important the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. was.

He was an activist and the prominent leader in the civil rights movement for blacks in the 1950s/1960s. His legacy was to greatly advance the progress of civil rights for black people, most notably in leading the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, helping found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, and spearheaded the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, which is one of the greatest, most stirring speeches in history. In 1964, he became the youngest person to ever received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial discrimination and segregation.

He definitely did great work and definitely changed American society for the better. It was difficult and scary work to do in the face of such bigotry and hatred, yet he took the huge risks to do what was morally right, even at the cost of his own life. He died a champion and hero of what is good and beautiful in humanity. Thank God for him.

Lessons from the Earthquake in Haiti

I thank you all for your prayers and donations to the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Many tons of aid have already arrived and much more is still being shipped, but most of the Haitian people continue to go without food and water.

The reasons? The airport was severely damaged in the quake, and it has run out of fuel. There are no clear or safe passage ways to get the supplies to the people in Port-au-Prince, due to rubble and the country's long history of dangerous instability with militias. Equipment is desperately lacking to clear the roads and aid in rescuing those still trapped under rubble. The shipping harbor was also quite damaged. The electricity is out, which makes all efforts more difficult. Aid is pouring in, vessel after vessel, but it is just not getting to those in dire need. People will die because of this inefficiency.

Haiti's extreme poverty caused most buildings to be very poorly constructed, and thus, not earthquake-resistant, which caused an extremely high number of casualties. (Compare the 50,000-100,000 expected dead of this quake to the 63 dead in California's Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989). While the economy of the Western Hemisphere's poorest country is in the hands of their unfortunately inept government, there obviously was a serious lack of foresight in disaster planning, which, I suppose, goes back to their inept government. But you would think a Caribbean country that is hit often by hurricanes would have some semblance of a plan in place.

So in thinking about planning for disasters, I realized I don't have any in place for myself or my family. Do you? Do you know what to do if some large-scale disaster occurs, blocking all streets, cutting off electricity and communication? Do you have a reserve of survival supplies? Do you have the basic necessities in reserve to last through the wait for disaster relief? Do you have set meeting places for all of your loved ones to congregate?

While thinking about worst-case scenarios is not pleasant in the least, a little preparation could make the literal difference in your survival. Talk these issues over with loved ones and make plans. I don't suggest going overboard, as some did with Y2K preparations, but I do suggest you cover your bases. I know I'm going to.



On a slight tangent, I feel compelled to address something disgusting and disturbing said by televangelist Pat Robertson. He stated that Haiti deserved the wrath of God via this devastating earthquake. The reason:

"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about. They were under the heel of the French, you know, Napoleon III and, whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the [French].' True story."

This statement is so obviously asinine, it doesn't even merit addressing, but it goes to show you what crazy, wealthy people will spout off when they delude themselves into thinking they can speak for God. Please pray for Pat Robertson's poor soul. And may God heal his mental illness.