From school days to around 2015, for about 20+ years, I was obsessed with newspapers. I never developed interest for TV news though. The variety of news that I could read in the paper fascinated me. I was reading 3-5 newspapers daily.
As we embraced voluntary simplicity, newspaper was let go too.
It is more than six years now, that I had neither read a newspaper nor followed the TV news.
Up until few months ago, I was visiting online site of two newspapers to just check the major news stories. However, that is also a past event.
Life got much easier due to absence of all forms of news. Here's how not consuming news made my life easier:
Important news still reaches me without newspaper or TV. Important news does not need a media for spreading. There is nothing important that I missed from last 6 years. However, I used to read newspaper worrying that I will be missing important news.
My shopping is not due to advertisements anymore. Newspapers created a desire to buy or travel most of the time. My purchases and decisions are now based on whether I really need that thing. This might have saved millions of rupees and helped us in moving easily into minimalistic lifestyle.
I no more worry about things that don't relate to me. I was worried of one or other issue ranging from sports, celebrities tragedies, political issues, global warming etc after consuming the news. My worries had no effect on the issues. But my worries definitely affected me negatively leading to stress. We never know how much effect it had on us. Now, I am not at all worried about any issue, local or global. It just don't matter anymore.
I am no more part of rumour/gossip mill. Since I don't consume news, I don't have anything hot to circulate around. And when other's share something in the name of hot news, I don't get excited either.
I have lost nothing but gained peace by letting go of news.
I no more see risks around. A good friend was hell bent on convincing me about the value of health insurance (many do). He is well informed about health insurance. Infact he is very sincerely maintaining insurance policies for himself and loved ones it seems. But he is unable to understand that the ideas about risks to his health that he sees in future are implanted in his head by advertisements. I don't need insurance, I need health. Hence, I work for gaining and maintaining my health. Infact, I am getting healthier day by day. I was not this healthy even during childhood. Unfortunately, my good friend has mistaken that his health insurance policy will protect him. He is working to buy the policy. I don't know how much healthy he is. If he puts the effort directly into healthy diet and lifestyle, he will be healthy too. He has insurance, I have health. He has chosen a proxy for health. I chose health for health. I hope you see how newspaper and advertisements implant ideas of risk in our head. This applies to many other spending we do like putting coconut oil in nostrils, unnecessary vaccinations, coding classes for children, and so on.
I am no more afraid or anxious of imaginary tragedies. On reading about crimes, tragedies or atrocities, I used to feel that such events can happen to me or loved ones. This was a constant thought in the head. It disappeared after quitting news. These are actually rare events and may never happen around us.
News was always negative. To keep the reader hooked to news, they have to show sensational news everyday. Naturally, humans are evolved to give more importance to negative news (it is a evolved strategy to protect ourselves from harmful happening). Hence, newspapers & news channels keep on showing negative news to keep people hooked to news. I don't have negative news in my life anymore. Neither there is positive news. There is no news!
My life is going on good without news.
A lot of time and energy is saved by quitting news. I am able to take better care of myself with this extra time.
Gossiping people have disappeared from my life as they don't feel interested in me anymore.
I feel free of many toxic topics that are (churned constantly in news) absolutely unnecessary for my life.
I think I would have been more stressed, mentally unhealthy, physically sicker, dumber if I had continued consuming news.
Take Care
Madhukar