Hello readers
Before you read the newsleter, I want to make a preliminary note. In Portugal, where I'm writing from, whenever a television programme or film is not suitable for under-18s, there is a parental warning symbolised by a little red ball in the top right-hand corner of the screen, like the example in this image.
This post was written based on a personal experience
The setting is simple and mundane.
It's 6.15am and it's not yet dawn. As usual, I'm up early. While I'm having breakfast, I can hear the sirens coming from the war in Ukraine on the television, as well as those from Tel Aviv as it is attacked by Iran. The sirens are doing their job, announcing the rain of metal that is about to fall from a sunny blue sky.
The sound of the sirens is distressing, so I decide to change the channel. I'm immediately jolted by the images of the destruction in the Gaza Strip, which include some dusty faces of children to whom life has bid a resounding farewell, after one of the greatest exponents of humanity's war arsenal has demonstrated the terror of its effectiveness. The survivors' hearts are still beating, some are running scared, but their lives will be changed forever by the sound of thunder, supersonic jets or the screams of other maimed survivors
A new tv channel change eased the burden of the news a little. But the smiling messenger on the other side of the screen isn't the bearer of good news either, and from his mouth, adorned with gleaming, aligned teeth, come sound waves announcing that the corpse of a stabbed woman has been found inside a suitcase in Vigo.
When I switched to a generalist channel, the leader of one party was ranting at his rival, whom he accused of being corrupt, a liar and incompetent. In the daily newspaper, the results of the National Study on Dating Violence indicate that 31.2 per cent of young people have been insulted during a relationship, while 8.7 per cent have been pushed or slapped.
Faced with the crushing weight of the present day, I decided to listen to some music. On an online platform, Amy Whinehouse's electrifying voice expresses her sorrows over unrequited love, showing in an acute tone her pain, dissatisfaction and general revolt with the world.
I finished what is the most important meal of the day at around 6.35am. It's starting to dawn outside. But for me, after this wave of pessimism, it's still night, as if I'm prevented from seeing the beauty of the new day.
Then I went for my morning walk, during which it occurred to me to think about how many families and children that day, like me, ate their breakfast in silence, but to the sound of sirens, images of corpses and shouting between party leaders or boyfriends slapping each other expressing how much they love and want to have their school sweetheart forever.
What came to mind was the little red ball in the top right-hand corner of some television programmes or the hypocritical announcements that "the following programme may contain images or scenes likely to hurt the sensibilities of viewers". I continued my walk, surrounded by nature and the happy melodies of the birds that come out of their night-time hiding places to sing.
At home, I've kept the digital devices that bring me the world's fascinating reality on a daily basis, without any red dots or adverts about the scars that images can leave on my sensibilities.
As I write this text, the harmonious sound of Bach's "Adagio" that accompanies me shows me that in the space of two hours I have felt all the beauties and strange contrasts of the world.
I am loving your comments about my post. Thank you so much
You're not alone experiencing this kind of morning, or shall I say mourning. I have for years now stopped reading the free papers and stopped the tv or radio in the mornings. It sets the wrong tone and makes us live in fear. You find out that the news get to you anyways, we don't need to feed it into our veins. There's so much talk of well being but the world we live in does a lot to contradict what is good for mental health. I don't say turn a blind eye, but there is a time for everything, and information that is thrown at you first thing in the morning well what is the purpose of it, really? I don't know. Very thought provoking post you have written. Thank you, makes me re evaluate as well, the information that comes out whether it is public service, private media. What's the purpose of it? Has it changed? Why does it change? How does it affect me?