大象传媒

Good Morning.聽At the end of last year, I listened to a Radio 4 presenter wrap up a current affairs programme by asking his guests what positive things they were taking away from 2016. One of the guests was a prominent politician who paused for a very long time. Eventually they said that the only positive thing they could think of was the wedding of a close family member. Everything else felt negative.聽聽When we focus on the big picture, as that politician did, it鈥檚 easy to feel down. Whether it鈥檚 terrorism, war, refugees, corruption or the environment, there鈥檚 no shortage of bad news. However just as we choose what food to put into our bodies, we can also choose what ideas we want to feed our minds with. For example, I鈥檝e really enjoyed receiving an uplifting real-life story in my inbox every day of the year, from the the free service Daily Good, which is run by volunteers in the United States, and that's not to mention all the small acts of kindness and goodwill that take place directly around me every day .聽聽My Buddhist teacher Lama Zopa encourages his students to make a habit of rejoicing whenever we come across an example of goodness or goodwill. Rejoicing is an instant pick-me-up that lifts our spirits and strengthens the values that we share. It鈥檚 something we can do wherever we are. 聽A few minutes of rejoicing at the end of each day can be a wonderful thing to do just before going to sleep.聽聽February is sometimes described as the most depressing month of the year. Let鈥檚 pray that we can avoid the intoxicating spiral of negative news, and instead fill our hearts and minds with whatever we find positive and inspiring.聽