Don't Worry, You Just Might Die in a Nuclear Attack

Yesterday, getting out of bed seemed like a pretty overwhelming task. I have my alarm tuned into Cities 97, so BT and the Morning Crew can gently assuage my transition for sleep to rise. However, yesterday, they decided to thrust me into the day violently. This the news I awoke to:

"The U.S. Security (insert name I forgot) stated that it is more than likely the U.S. will suffer from either a nuclear or biochemical terrorist attack by the year 2013."

Talk about increasing the getting-out-of-bed difficulty level. Sheesh. Nothing like being greeted with a little seasonal cheer on a wintry morning. What am I supposed to do with that information? Pay more attention to suspicious, nuclear-bomb looking packages??? Carry a gas mask in my backpack at all times? No wonder everyone is seriously lacking serotonin in this country.

I mean, I don't think we should live in an ignorant bliss - because usually that leads to events like September 11 - but there is such a thing as accurately reporting risk people. If you're going to tell me that my life may end via a chemical explosion before my 30th birthday, I'm going to need a little context - such as why does the U.S. Security Something think this? What can citizens do about this? What is being done about this? More than just a 30-second blurb on my doomed fate as a dust particle would be great. Thanks.

I seriously think that most of us suffer from "mean world syndrome," a condition (no, no DSM diagnosis on this one, sorry) in which we live our lives believing the world is a whole lot meaner than it actually may be, thanks to the proliferation of fear and terror in the news. How about a little hope my friends!

I have a crazy theory, but sometimes I think that if the media infused a bit more hope in its reporting - people might have more of a will to change, to give... even to live. Consequently, who knows, there might actually be less real despair and fear for the media to over-report.

Or not. Someday.