Are you struggling with the impact of so much depressing news?

So many people worldwide are thinking along similar lines …! I’m certainly hard-pressed to recall a time when the news has been so depressing.  We have a pandemic and conflict worldwide but, top position in my worry list, goes to climate change, or global heating as so many are now calling it. Are you, like me, struggling with the impact of depressing news?

I guess that in our drenched and chilly corner of S E Essex it’s hard to swallow the idea that the planet is heating up dangerously, but I’m assured by those who know about these things that our heavy rainfall and low temperatures result from changes in the atmosphere caused by man’s activities since the industrial revolution.

In the face of all this gloom and doom, it’s been particularly difficult recently to keep my mind concentrated on good news and to keep some semblance of optimism about the future.

But, by rationing my exposure to mainstream media, concentrating on my regular reading of Positive News and Resurgence, and valuing my face-to-face and online contact with the many people worldwide who are working hard towards taking our world to a better place, I’m holding on to hope and negating the impact of so much depressing news. Not the close your eyes and cross your fingers sort of hope but that which inspires me into taking any action I can.

Recent good news stories which have helped me hold on to optimism for the future are …

• The Green Economics Foundation has set up ‘Change the Rules’ an online project which encourages and keeps a record of all the local community and workplace initiatives in the UK – so far there are 60! – which are moving us towards a more democratic and sustainable economy.  This seems to be very much in line with the work of the Carbon Copy initiative and the Localisation agenda of Local Futures.
• Oxfam, traditionally thought of as a charity dedicated to handouts to the poor, has produced a very challenging report ‘The Inequality Virus’ which exposes modern-day neoliberal capitalism, which advocates a free-market with minimal state regulation, as at the heart of so many of our problems ranging from obscene inequality,  patriarchy and racism to environmental destruction.,. The report calls for a move away from GDP as a measure of our success. Russell Warfield writing in Resurgence sees moving to a new economic model is far from easy: ‘Winning a better world will take the sort of political struggle that defined a global generation’
• This takes me very nicely on to my next piece of good news: Extinction Rebellion, the non-violent protest movement which could well be the vehicle to lead the much-needed political struggle, is gaining strength and has a programme of protests and events starting this month and leading up to United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26.

I’ve come to see that many minds are coming together and have a vision of a new world where …

Localisation takes over from globalisation

Success measured by a Well Being Index which counts the mental health and general well-being of people and of the natural environment takes over from GDP which measures material consumption

Co-operation replaces competition.

Eileen Peck - Join Those Who Are Changing the World

This is one of a series of articles by author Eileen Peck, searching out the good news stories to hearten us during these challenging times.

Find out more about Eileen here.

And check out more articles in this series here.