I can't watch the news anymore.  I've even had to delete Facebook posts of my news feed because the brief description is too depressing.  All there seems to be is heartbreak, cruelty and despair.  I know I'm not alone in my feelings on this subject.  So why is it that we are being inundated with such sadness?  There is more out there than just people beating one another and animal abuse.  Where are the uplifting stories?  Where are the, dare I say it, happy endings?  Why are people so fascinated with this crap that just makes us all sad?  I know that there are people out there who, like me, have to refrain from watching and reading the news because we are emotionally affected in such a way that is not easily overcome. We feel the sadness deeply, almost physically and become trapped by it.  Somethings you just can't un-know.  It's hard for me to explain it, but it's a feeling I do not like having.  It's not that I want to pretend that these things aren't happening, but what is the point of seeing story after story about how terrible people out there can be?  There is nothing I can do to make a difference.  I feel sick about the things that happen to people I will never know.  So as a self preservation tactic I have cut myself off from the news.  I know the evils of the world haven't gone away, but I don't have to actively take part in knowing all the grisly details.  I don't want to know!  I don't want to take part, be informed or talk about it later.  I don't care if it makes me come off as weak, uncaring or naive.  I look at it this way:  is it necessary for my well being to read the story about the mom who microwaved her baby?  No?  (Then I will pass.  In case you are wondering, that is an actual story someone on my FB posted, I had to delete it.  Even typing those words makes me feel ill.  How are people so awful?)

That brings my rant to an end, for now.  And I will leave on this note:  I recently read an uplifting story, you may have seen it on FB too, about the lady that found a bottle with some sand, a dollar and a letter in it on her beach.  Curiosity getting the better of her, she opened the bottle to find that the 'sand' was actually the remains of someone.  The letter explained travelling was a passion of the dead mans, so his wife put some of his remains in the bottle with a letter asking for whoever found him to call her and let her know where he had been to, and these people-complete strangers-kept him going!  The money was to pay for the phone call, how considerate!Apparently this bottle had made it to many places, and people kept sending him back to sea.  What a nice story of human connectedness.  And kindness.