Nightly news

Is bad news more noteworthy than good news? It seems to be a more frequent topic of conversation. Is it more interesting? Why else would we choose to eat the dish we least like?
An evening spent watching the news suggests that the number of bad things that happen in the world outweighs the good. However, we need only shift our focus to notice the remarkable number of things that go right on any given day.
Yet, violence has a way of capturing our attention. It does so because we know it’s aberrant. Meanwhile, all of us can relate to moments in our lives when strong emotions have taken hold of our minds and bodies.
Violence stems from learned immediate reactions to strong negative emotions. Most of us weren’t taught how to deal with strong negative emotions. In moments of intense rage or sadness, there can be a lack of consciousness of thoughts and behavior. However, it helps to remember that emotions are temporary.