We have had some very cold weather the past few days in Seattle. We haven’t even come close to the freezing temperatures in the Midwest or the Plains states; but for the Pacific Northwest when we get nights in the teens and days in the 20’s we think of that as pretty cold. Although it’s cold, it’s also incredibly beautiful. The sky is clear, the sun is out and the mountains which surround our city are in their full glory. It’s quite spectacular.
But let’s get back to the cold temperatures. Every night the news spends about 20 minutes of the news hour talking about the cold. There really isn’t much to discuss because there is no snow, there is no wind, and because of the low humidity, there isn’t even any black ice. Yet, the newscasters seem to be able to fill quite a bit of time making sure we all realize how cold it really is and all the possible scenarios which might occur as a result of this cold snap.
I call it fear mongering although I am sure they would just say they were reporting the news. I get tired of the news making big stories out of little ones and creating a sense of fear and impending doom when in reality everything is okay unless you are homeless. Now that is a real issue with these temperatures, but it’s an issue which the news doesn’t really want to tackle. So we are left with the impending fear of a possible chance of snow flurries four days from now.
I've always wondered how much of the fear the newscasters project actually affect viewers; so I decided to conduct a little experiment. The weather is on everyone’s mind, so every time I run into someone I ask them, “How do you like this cold?” Without an exception, everyone complains about the temperature and goes right to, “I hope it doesn’t snow.”
I then respond with one of two replies. With some, I go with their perspective and join them, complaining about how cold it is and what a mess it will be when the snow comes. And then we are off and running, looking at all the bad things that could happen as a result of this weather.
With others, I respond, “It certainly is a little cold, but isn’t it beautiful? It’s great to have sun in Seattle at this time of year and have you seen the mountains? They’re amazing!” This response stops them in their tracks. They actually are stumped for a minute because they already have their next statement of complaint ready to go. Some of the people still stick with their story while others smile and say, “You’re right. It really is pretty."
This is just one silly experiment which obviously has no scientific validity; but I do think it has enough human validity to make us all pause and become more aware of the thoughts and stories that are kicking around in our heads. Do we actually believe these stories or have we bought into the “something’s wrong” mode of thinking that is peddled by the news. Are we making our decisions from what we truly believe or are we letting the newscasters and reporters decide what we think or do?
The choice is always up to us. Is it going to be freezing cold or blue skies?
People deal too much with the negative, with what's wrong...why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom. Thich Nhat Hanh
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