Whats happening in the world?

There’s so much bad news, she said.  What’s happening in the world? I can’t bear it.

I know, I answered.  I’m trying to maintain a balance between my responsibility to witness this crap and not being taken down by it. In the end, you have to learn to ignore it.

Oh, Humanity!  How can you ignore it?

Remember, it’s the reporting of it that's everywhere - twenty four hours a day.

But it seems to be worse than usual, she remonstrated.  And so sad.

I looked out of the window.  Have you thought about what’s going on in these streets around you? 

Of course I have, she said.  But that’s just life.

And so is all of this.  Air crashes, acts of war, the most grisly of murders.  It’s just life.  The difference is in the reporting of it.  Think about what’s happening behind closed doors like the ones in all the tower-blocks and streets just around here.  Unreported.

But I don’t get to know about that.

Exactly.  Imagine if you did.

She contemplated for a while.  It would drive me insane.

I know.  Look.  Humanity has suffered tragedy all through history.  And enjoyed achievement and success.  Just now, the tragedies are a little closer to home or in the news-reporters’ top ten topics.  You need to look away for a while.

Turn off the TV and radio.  Go out in the sun.  Leave the newspapers in their rack – walk right past the headlines.  Listen to your music – Bluegrass was playing in the background.  Listen to the rain from your bed like we did last night – remember that?

Is that what you do? she asked.  Just turn off to it?

Yes.  And I go to the bar with friends; ride the bike fast and hard; write about old Spanish men; talk with Spanish women; play guitar; anything.  Just live and get the balance back.

But don’t you care?

Hell, yes! I care.  Oh, baby, do I care.  That’s why I have to look away.  It’s because I care.  Do you think all this is going to stop?  Watching and reading all this stuff and listening to it on the hour, every hour is like peeking through the curtains of all those flats and houses and staring at all those millions of individual little tragedies day in–day out.  Of course I care.  Look at my own family – do you think I don't see enough?

She closed her eyes.  But surely you’re not saying you’re unaware of all the plane crashes, the wars, the hunger and suffering in the world?

No.  I’m not saying that.  It filters through from you, from the people I work with, from the laptop, my phone, all these things.  But it isn’t reinforced and driven in every hour.  These things are events. 

I know that.  But it sounds like you don’t care.

Listen.  Both of us have been to places where tragedy and suffering is all around every day.  How can we be oblivious?  When times have been good, I’ve supported charities and even sent money to individuals.  Of course I care.  I care about my mother, my brother, my aunts and uncles – believe me, I’ve got my share of tragedy, as we all have. 

But you don’t care about the people in all these news stories.  How can you just ignore what’s happening?  It just seems callous to me.

I told you, I hear and see enough.  Just enough.  And I do care.  I care too much.  I need to balance all that stuff or it’ll bring me down.  I care, but I don’t need to sit and watch it hour after hour.  I don’t need to pore over daily in-depth analysis on three or four pages of a newspaper.

Ok, ok.  But don’t you even want to know why things are happening and see whether the situation’s improving?  I mean, surely if you care you want to know why things happen and what’s being done to stop the wars and the planes from crashing or end the famine?

Honey, I think my head’s just all filled up.  That’s why I’m glad all these flats and houses have front doors and curtains pulled.

Hmmm.  Well I’m not so sure.