“I choose art and beauty, vague as those terms are, against ugliness and horrors in which we live today. For somebody to look at a flower or listen to music does something to one, has a positive effect, and being surrounded by ugliness and horror does something negative. So I feel my duty not to betray those poets, scientists, saints, singers, troubadours of the past centuries who did everything that humanity would become more beautiful.”
Jonas Mekas, via Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 45)
Beyond the Quote (20/365)
If it bleeds it leads. If you haven’t heard this expression before, it’s sort of the unannounced, unofficial but predominantly popular strategy for many media outlets that represents the idea of using fear and despondency to keep viewers tuned in, listening, and coming back to them for more. It’s popular because it works and because it works it helps media companies sell more advertisements and improve their bottom-line.
The process looks like this: First, they catch the viewers attention by showing them something dramatic or something that might cause fear. Second, they make the viewer think that the solution to the identified fear or drama will be in their news story. Third, they use the news story to enhance the viewers fear and despondency rather than reduce it and keep them wanting to tune in to watch the next news story which will then, reduce their fears (or not). And if you pay close attention, the only proof you’ll need will be on the evening news this week.
This is what we’re up against. Some of the biggest media companies in the world are focusing the time and energy of their massive (and highly qualified) staffs and are devoting their huge multi-million dollar pools of resources on feeding fear, ugliness, and horror to all those who tune in. When consumed regularly, this, as Mekas points out, certainly does something negative.
Fortunately for us, we have more control over the type of media we consume today than we ever did before. And even more fortunately for us, not all media companies are fear driven, bottom-line oriented, businesses. There are many media companies who focus solely on reporting news that has positive effects like Soul Pancake. There are other media companies who focus on reporting the facts, sharing solutions, encouraging conversation, and taking actions that might improve the given situations like Philip DeFranco. And there are certainly countless ways to stay on top of important news updates without having to tune into one of those fear-driven businesses. All we have to do, is choose how we want to tune in.
You see, in this example, our eyes are the commodity. What we choose to watch and how we choose to interact with our media choices has a direct effect on their relevance, their reach, their influence, and ultimately, their bottom line. Now, be it that it might only be a very small fraction of their very large pool of influence, you can’t forget that this is the fraction that YOU control. No decision you ever make will be more in your control than the decisions you make for yourself, to better yourself, and to lead the charge to make the world—your world—a better place.
“I’m only one person. What difference can I make?” ~ Said 6 billion people. We are the difference makers in our world and we need to take the initiatives that will lead us to more positive ground. Plus, how could we betray all of the beautiful poets, scientists, saints, singers, troubadours, writers, and deep thinkers that came before? Let’s give our attention—the only attention we have 100% control over—to those beautiful humans who worked so hard before us and do everything we can to make humanity more beautiful for all.
Read Next: 23 Quotes on Aging, Living, and Dying from Happiness Is a Choice You Make
Don't Let the Motivation Stop There...!
Join our newsletter and get the BEST of what we post every week. Here's an example. Like? Sign up.
[amp-optin id=42297]