An experiment

Sunday night, I watched CNN Heroes--a two-hour tribute to men and women doing extraordinary work in the world.  As I watched it, I realized I was feeling peaceful.  Having recently acquired the skill of recording programs, I saved it to watch again later.

By contrast, when I watch political news, I feel fearful and angry.  I don't want to bury my head in the sand, but I do want to keep my peace when the sand is swirling in storms of rants and tweet tantrums by a man who reminds me of a sixth grade schoolyard bully.

As I watched the close ups and videos of these generous people on CNN Heroes--helping cancer patients ride the currents in kayaks; providing medical care and education for impoverished children, helping disabled children surpass expectations, and more--I noticed that there was a sense of joy in the room.  Everyone was inspired by these people who were willing to extend themselves without personal compensation, sometimes to live in harsh environments and isolated places to teach, heal, and educate.

One fatherless man, for example. After getting in all kinds of trouble with no guidance from a father, he started a training program for other fatherless boys, now fathers, teaching them how to be men and fathers, "not to do to their kids what my father did to me."  One woman built a home for children whose parents were in prison.  Another helps young foster children who have aged out of the system create places to live, then helps them decorate so that they are like real homes, with beds and furniture and artwork on their walls.

Unlike watching politics, when everything contracts into a ball of fear, watching these people making grassroots changes is expansive.  So I'm going to do an experiment and watch more uplifting stories and less politics.

Richard Geer was one of the introducers on CNN Heroes.  He happens to be one of the most handsome and charismatic men on the big screen in my opinion, but maybe his face is a reflection of a good heart, like the woman he introduced.  Like the "heroes" recognized on CNN, he works to make the world better, not just America.  As my friend, the late-Gary Lane used to say, "It's a big world."  I wonder: What if we all saw the great big world through a lens of compassion--instead of watching endless news of a man who sees it through the lenses of money and power?