So many of the certainties of the past seem to have transformed into uncertainties in the present.
Exhausted migrants, fleeing war and deprivation, stream into Europe . . . fierce fires, destroying acres of forest, surge across California . . . China's currency is devalued causing a wave of international concern . . . Greece struggles to recover.This is all true. There's no doubt that it's true.
But it's also what the media has chosen to tell us . . . which is usually bad news. We're offered a dark and often distorted picture.
'What bleeds leads' would seem to be the maxim.
But whereas blood and trauma may well grab the headlines, those same headlines can also have the effect of bleeding us . . . bleeding us of vitality and hope.Wouldn't you agree that we need a nourishing diet of news that's optimistic and positive? Something to help us cope with the influx of disasters.
We need a clear light to be shed on the picture . . . and it isn't as hard to find as some might think.
May I recommend a tonic which I take daily?
It's a dose of the international online newspaper, 'The Optimist Daily'.
Founded in 1995 to counter negativity in mainstream journalism, it now produces an inspirational daily bulletin from its twin headquarters in Rotterdam and San Francisco.
Click here if you feel the need for a boost of invigorating good news and common sense.
Did you know, for instance, that India has just unveiled the world's first airport to operate entirely on solar power? Or that an organic farmer in California has found a way to produce more and better vegetables whilst using less water? Or that Sri Lanka is thinking of floating giant balloons high above the clouds to obtain cheap, nation-wide internet access?
See what good news is being concealed in the shadows.
But it's not merely a question of being optimistic, and looking for the positive.
I sometimes think I'd be wise to follow Chloe's lead . . . to relish in the joys of the present moment.
Untroubled by human activity in the wider world, she concentrates on the offerings of her immediate vicinity.
After all, what could be better for body and soul than a satisfying breakfast, an enjoyable walk . . . and the exciting rustle of mice in the ivy?
