Peaceful Pirate Solution

I have overcome an addiction that has wreaked havoc with my health, wealth, and general well being.

I have broken my addiction to...drama.

It took me a long time to realize it, but the “pushers” that addicted me to drama are the pundits, anchors, and hosts of TV shows that tell me a story, then tell me how emotional I should be about it. They sometimes even lead by example with tears or fits of outrage.

This led me to wonder: before television, how did people survive without our news organizations warning them of how afraid we should be?

And that's when I came up with the Paul Revere Principle.

This is a simple question of whether or not a news story is truly something of which I should be concerned: if our media only had the technology that was available in Boston on April 18,1775, would any of them be willing to climb on a horse in 40 degree weather and ride to my house and tell me?

If not, then I don't need to know it.

Think if our current media organizations applied the Paul Revere Principle as a standard today. We would be a much calmer, more peaceful society.

I would not hear Harvey Levin from TMZ riding through my neighborhood shouting “Mel Gibson is cursing! Mel Gibson is cursing!”.

I would not hear Jim Gray from ESPN shouting about Lebron James “One if by Cleveland, Two if by Miami!”.

In fact, it would take too many trips on horseback to inform me of changing poll numbers, unemployment statistics, fluctuating interest rates, etc. Without those statistics in my head, I can sleep soundly - free from worry.

So if you want a more peaceful life, I suggest you adopt the Paul Revere Principle. 99.9% of the news just isn't worth saddling a horse for! So turn off the news and dream big.

www.peacefulpirate.com