2009 was quite a year for the world, and American news. First, The
Hollywood Sentinel was born. And almost as important (joking), it
was the beginning of the term of the first black president of the
United States of America. Then, Whitney Houston and Britney Spears
returned.
And then there was the bad news; U.S. wars raged on in the Middle
East, suicide bombers enacted real attacks and threatened others,
and people cried more about the economy. First the real estate
bubble burst, then Wall Street, Bernie Madoff, the bankers, the
automobile manufacturers, and the so-called collapse of the
dollar. I dealt with a personal loss of a friend and client,
Michael Jackson's former guitarist David Williams, and then, the
world dealt with the loss of Michael himself, and so many others:
Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, Bea Arthur, David Carradine, Dom DeLuise, John Hughes, Les Paul, Natasha Richardson, Naomi Sims, Patrick Swayze, and Walter Cronkite, just to name a few.
Earthquakes, floods, and plane crashes abounded, including the
disappearance of an Air France plan near Brazil. North Korea
threatened war and launched missiles, Iran held elections and
also threatened war, China further violated human rights and
refused a vigil to remember Tiananmen Square, and they upheld
their ban on more than 20 non Chinese films in their country, and
Hollywood does nothing, and every body seemed to blame every one
else for the H1N1, the "swine flu." Next, Christian Bale, David
Letterman, and Kayne West made the news. Then, Adam Lambert got
more controversy as the battle over gay marriage was waged world
wide which brought outrage, and the "Balloon Boy" fiasco wasted
millions. And before one actors arrest at Sundance, who can
forget Tiger Woods? And now, the tragic loss of Brittany
Murphy.
With all of this tragedy and horror, it is no wonder the drug
companies are making billions selling their pills and
anti-depressant drugs. But is the world really as bad as the
mainstream news tells us every day that it is? Is the world
really all that horrible? Are we that miserable?
According to a major, national newspaper I picked up recently, a
survey was done concerning the happiest states, and the most
unhappy. Each of the fifty states were ranked with little smiley
faces that either had a big smile, or that dropped down to a thin
line of a frown. Now, according to this poll, which I was never
asked about, and I doubt you were either, New York is the most
unhappy state in the U.S. That's strange, because it happens to
have one of the best cities in the world, New York City.
California was rated the 6th most unhappy, which again makes no
sense to me, considering that I've traveled to most all fifty
states, and California is by far one of the most friendliest,
happiest states I have ever been in. Los Angeles is of course, in
California, and L.A., like NYC, is one of the best cities in the
world. Who could be unhappy in a place where the sun is shining
and it is comfortably warm 99 percent of the time, is beyond me.
Ironically, my former home state of Illinois was voted the 7th
most unhappy. I lived in one of the other best cities in the
world, Chicago, for many, many years, and Chicagoans are some of
the most driven, down to Earth, fun loving people I know. Too
much of the market economy is based on the tactic of selling
fear. There are plenty of great things that happen ever day,
around the world, that outnumber all of the bad, but are never
reported.
In this same paper, I found a coupon for a free prescription drug
from a drug maker, which makes many of the pharmaceuticals that
have killed the celebs we know and love. The warning in the ad
for the prescription drug include loss of vision, loss of
hearing, color vision changes such as seeing a blue tinge, or
having difficulty telling the difference between the colors blue
and green. Now, I don't know about you, but I like my hearing,
and I like knowing my colors. I also don't like newspapers
telling me that my state is unhappy, or failing, or any other
number of miserable things. I resent news sources pushing false
statistics on me of how worthless and miserable the place I live
in and love is. They did every thing short of telling me we
should all be depressed. But of course, we have statistics for
that too. Men are more depressed. Women are more depressed. Fat
people are more depressed. Skinny people are more depressed. Who
can win? Haven't you had it with news blogs, papers, and news
stations telling you how horrible life and society is? If I
relied on the media, I'd think the world was ending tomorrow. Oh
wait, that's in another two years, right?! Wrong!
The United States spends nearly twice as much as any other
country in the world on pharmaceutical drugs. Considering that
another 100 thousand people died in the past year due to
pharmaceuticals, that's nothing to be proud of. No wonder there
are 49 other countries in the world with a longer life expectancy
rate than the United States! America is too busy taking pills,
being told it will help them live better, when actually
it’s killing them. I'm tired of reading about star after
star in Hollywood becoming another statistic of prescription
drugs. And those are just the famous ones that we hear
about!
I also read that 76 people were arrested in Los Angeles on
Christmas Eve for drunk driving. Over 100 thousand people die
each year due to alcohol. Over 40 thousand of those deaths are
due to traffic wrecks, and the other 50 or 60 thousand are due to
suicide, homicide, and or just stupid accidents by drunken people
doing stupid things. That's over 1 million deaths per year that
are preventable. It is already a proven fact that we will die, so
why increase the odds?
And there is another poison that is as deadly as alcohol and
drugs but that is not illegal, and does not get much discussion,
and that is anger. Many deaths, be they suicide, homicide, and
accidents are due to anger that one does not control. Getting in
to a car when you are angry or upset and driving is similar to
playing Russian Roulette. You can not be a safe driver when you
are angry or upset. Wait until you are calm, and then drive. If
your friend, co worker, lover, family member or who ever, gets
you so upset, take a walk and shut off your phone. Take some deep
breaths, and calm yourself down before you deal with them again,
or operate anything that can kill you or some one else.
In summary, if you want a sane, happy, and successful new year, and
I know you do, I urge you to do the following;
1, avoid listening to people or sources that tell you over and
over how your life and the word around you is falling apart
2, avoid abuse of alcohol, and stay out of vehicles if the driver
has been drinking, including yourself
3, avoid drugs that stunt your life and impede your mind, which
includes abuse of pharmaceuticals
4, diminish anger in your life; never drive or do other things
that can kill you or others when you are upset
5, visualize the life and world you want to create, and create
it
Go outside, feel the sunshine. Visit with a friend. Do something
creative. Say no to failure and depression, learn ways to calm
your self down and relax. Make a promise to do these 5 simple
things, and I guarantee you, you will have one great 2010.
Despite what any one tells you to the contrary.
The Hollywood Sentinel, © 2009.