Miracles and Mental Health and Positive vs. Negative News
On Monday July 9, 2018, the Thailand Tham Luang Cave Rescue was the leading first story on news feeds. As we now know, this international rescue mission consisted of a 12 member junior football team ranging between 11 to 17 years of age; additionally, their 25-year-old assistant coach was among the rescued. The team members entered the cave on June 23, 2018. Due to heavy rains flooding the cave they were forced to move deeper into the cave. At one point the locals were relying on the Rain Gods...
for support in the teams return to the world. Yet at another point, no contact had been made with the team for a week. The regional tragedy soon became a worldwide news phenomena. This future mythos destine for motion picture storytelling became more disturbing as the monsoon season was approaching. Meaning at best, a rescue might happen at the end of the monsoon season, or months later. If this were to occur, creative ways for keeping the group alive became more narrow. Ambitious, but how could we keep the team alive in a cave for months after being trapped?
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for support in the teams return to the world. Yet at another point, no contact had been made with the team for a week. The regional tragedy soon became a worldwide news phenomena. This future mythos destine for motion picture storytelling became more disturbing as the monsoon season was approaching. Meaning at best, a rescue might happen at the end of the monsoon season, or months later. If this were to occur, creative ways for keeping the group alive became more narrow. Ambitious, but how could we keep the team alive in a cave for months after being trapped?
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The miracle. Billionaire with state of the art submarine. Rain Gods granting the allowance of their lives. And lastly, mankind and its power; to unite, and generate the miracle.
What occurred this Friday morning as I surfed the new feeds was an accustomed read of negative absorption of storytelling. Or at best, puff piece pop cultured numbed articles that have little to do with connection to mankind or spirit or soul or nature. Moreover, the political flooding had not true identity to a movement of social culture or impact that moves our society forward. What was occurring during my glance was my being exposed to random items that might not truly move me or connect me to the fabric of the human experience. Then the realization: The mythological tale of the majestic land, Chang Rai, Thailand, far away from my world was no longer on the new feeds. Second guessing myself I looked at the top 70 stories ranging from Kardashians, to FBI spies, British royalty, to “how to reduce creepy old skin,” to celebrity breakups, to Louisville KY’s response to Papa John’s, to FLOTUS’s 4 inch heels, to celebrity feuds (the short list). The British diving hero’s first moments of finding the team during the early stages of the cave rescue miracle is fading. Gone.
Hence one must start thinking. What is news? What is absorbed? What is negative absorption to our psyche? What stunts our growth socially? What we can question is can what we read, or can the news affect our psychological well being? Headlines often cause sensationalism. Is it worth reading the whole article to balance the negative headline? And if so, it the investment of reading the article to your detriment? Many of us might need validation to know negative images can be ignored. This week George Clooney’s surprisingly uninjured motorcycle accident was actually available for viewing. Was this necessary or sensationalism?
This tale will eventually become the story to revisit when showing the power of good. This Marvel Universal Hero of Miramar, Adun Sam-On, wise-beyond-his-5-languages-14-years will have a future to share.
So, the thought is this: Why are we reading such distractions and negative content in the news and on social media? Would we have a different healthier happier experience if we could utilize valuable information for our lives without being overwhelmed with negative unproductive junk? And if so would our brain work more effectively by receiving content that is positive and produces happiness; empathy; and social human good?
As a marriage and family therapist and depth psychologist these stories should not be the first lead story on Monday; but, should be the norm. Where are the follow up stories with the additional heroes? Where are the artistic drawings, the letters, the articles of the extended family’s stories or the first return to the spiritual congregation or the community’s ceremony. How would the psyche present if every day the miracle of mankind (or better still; womankind) were more important that wrinkled skin?
Photo by Ryan Miglinczy on Unsplash
Photo by Elijah O'Donell on Unsplash
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Photo by Elijah O'Donell on Unsplash
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
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