Day 216 -- a busy news day

Well -- I've been away from the news for a day and the world officially entered the handbasket. There's an earthquake, more landslides, two hurricanes (Atlantic and Pacific), still no rain in all the drought-ridden areas, major thunderstorms, new ebola cases and then I stopped listening. There is a potential cease-fire on the table, so that is better news. Amazing that so much happened in about 36 hours. This may be an argument for obtaining a smart phone, but I expect there are still other ways to get the news that I'd prefer.

Most of the news items seem to be acts of nature. But I found myself asking which of these had a human aspect to them -- over-development in hilly regions, greenhouse gas emissions, and the deadly duo of ego and greed. Yet, there were stories of humans working to find survivors, treat the wounded or ill, and bring feuding sides together. It appears that there is hope as not all humans are only out for number one. As I reflected on this latter observation, I began to feel less stressed. The nasty news has still happened, but people are pulling together to help those in the midst of the messes.

The selection for today is an oldie, but one that I heard in my head as I realized that so much had occurred since I'd last paid attention. The original from the 1960s was the one that ran through my head. Then I thought of the newer version that includes more recent issues than 50 years earlier and balances the negative with positive attitudes more so than the original version. That is the version I settled on today. Enjoy!

Eve of Destruction 2012 -- Barry McGuire