Every night, between bites of rice and vegetables, my family watches in rapt attention as stories of global conflicts, mass murders, and natural disasters flood our TV screen. 

 Regularly being exposed to the news and current events, good and bad, has impacted me in many ways. It’s allowed me to gain a more global perspective when weighing in on issues affecting our society, such as disease, technological advancement, and war. It’s important to have basic knowledge about events impacting our world. Whether it be global warming or the state of democracy worldwide, we will be affected by it all, so having an informed opinion on serious global topics makes us better voters, citizens, and leaders.

Most importantly, watching the news has allowed me to acknowledge and understand the suffering of other people. Sitting with the knowledge gained from watching scenes from warzones or highly-impacted areas of poverty has shaped the way I perceive the human experience, and has forced me to reevaluate the role I want to have in the world. Most of us live sheltered lives and can barely comprehend how lucky we are until confronted with the situations of other people. Since watching the news, I find myself having more compassion towards strangers because I think about all of the high-risk situations I see on TV. We never know who is fighting an invisible battle, so it’s important to give people grace, patience, and space in order to support them. News doesn’t just inform us— it makes us better people.

Despite all of the negativity on TV, watching the news has also taught me a lot about hope. Seeing people persevere, fight, and recover through the most tremendous hardship gives me courage to confront my own challenges head on, and has shown me the strength of the human spirit.