Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
Reut Binyamin has created a "Good News People" community of over 111,000 members. I recently interviewed her and some of her thoughts are as follows:
"Think of a home where there is only criticism," Reut said. "What sort of children will grow up there? Think of a school where there is nothing but criticism of the students. Would we send our children there? Yet every day we willingly listen to news that is mainly negative. It is as though only bad things are happening. This does not only create anxiety and despair, but it also brings about apathy. If everything is bad, we become desensitized, while our incentive to be positive and proactive is diminished..
It's our responsibility to pay attention to what enters our minds and hearts. Of course we need to know what is going on in the world. But just as we will not stand next to smokers and inhale their toxic smoke, we should also not pollute our outlook on life with bad news.
When I publish good news, I see how one positive sentiment leads to another. There are those who criticize me, saying: 'To publish only good news is to be naive and disconnected from reality.' But I say: 'The opposite is true. Hearing only bad news is to be disconnected from the reality of all the good that is happening, to miss out on all the news that gives us hope and an example to follow, awakens our compassion, and builds our resiliency."
In closing, Reut drew attention to a famous verse from the book of Psalms. "King David says; 'Shun evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.' This is our mission. Good requires action and peace must be pursued. Effort is required for achieving the goals that we seek. We can begin to work toward them today."
