Bad News Abounds in All Shapes and Sizes
Our daily news is bad. It is so bad that some people don’t even listen to or read the news anymore. It is hard to find a good news story and if they exist, they seem to be buried behind an avalanche of bad news.
The bad news takes all forms.
There is death and dying. There are natural disasters. There is evidence that our mental health is declining and our loneliness is increasing. We are struggling with creating intimacy with others. We have new types of ticks that can kill us; we have street drugs that can and do eat away at our skin. We have politicians who seem to lack all capacity to compromise and who are comfortable with inflammatory rhetoric. We have a now former US Attorney from MA, Rachel Rollins, who seemed to believe the rules didn’t apply to her. We have the children of politicians who behave poorly — for starters, we have AJ Baker (the former MA governor now head of the NCAA’s son and Riley Dowell, the daughter of a US Representative. We have high profile figures with unethical behavior — people who seem oblivious to the hue and cry surrounding them. A wee list: Clarence Thomas (add in his wife); Dianne Feinstein; Bill Gates (and his affair with a Bridge playing Russian woman decades younger, accounting in part for his link to Jeffrey Epstein); Ja’ Morant brandishing weapons and other athletes who make horrific mistakes like Jalen Carter. And speaking of weapons, we have more shootings now than in any similar time frame; once safe places like schools and malls no longer seem safe. We have a rise in banned books for reasons that seem illogical and increased discrimination and denial of rights with respect to many individuals. We have counterfeit parts in manufacturing settings that make safety a question in far too many situations. We have far too many horses dying/being euthanized at key tracks across the US for reasons that may or may not be clear. We have a former president found guilty in a civil court of sexual misconduct. And don’t get me started on corporate bad actors — from Elizabeth Holmes who is headed off to prison (that’s unusual) to the Sackler family (what a saga that is).
Some days it just feels as if the earth has fallen off its moral axis and is careening over a cliff, never to return.
The Value of Good News and An Amazing Good News Story
So what do we have to cheer us on, to give us hope? Sure, some of these stories are “small” and don’t involve those with money or fame or power but in the aggregate, these small stories are useful to read about and focus upon as they remind us that the future is not all bleak. Sure there are books about success stories and with commencement season upon us, there are many nice stories of individual and collective success. Good things do happen to some good people and some people do the right thing, day in and day out.
It is a very recent sports story (in golf no less, a sport often played by many as they age unlike baseball or basketball) that has captured my heart and mind and it is worth sharing. Some of you likely saw the whole thing unfold for 4 days on TV coverage of the PGA championship but it is well worth revisiting. And, while it may not seem to have power of the bad news, if we listen to all pieces of the story as we know them (and assuming them to be true as reported), we can pinpoint a moment of joy (actually several moments) and hope and a reason to do the right thing and believe in oneself — today and tomorrow.
So, here goes the “small” story.
Michael Block is head golf pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in CA. He’s 46, married for 18 years with two teenage children. He was one of just a few dozen pros entered into the just completed PGA 2023 championship at Oak Hill — considered a “major” golf event. He received the last available sponsor’s exemption — a spot given to those who haven’t previously qualified for the tournament.
That’s a story right there. Apparently, he’s a really good decent guy who works hard. And, a door opened.
Then came the PGA championship. For starters, he was in the top 10 finishers on each of the first three days of the tournament. Top ten among golf’s elite. That’s pretty amazing. Under the glare of the media and his peers and heroes, he was playing amazing golf, never looking at the scoreboard.
That’s a story right there. But there is more.
He finished tied for 15th place and played the last round with Rory McIlroy. Imagine that. How thrilling and it wasn’t an easy round. And he earned a spot at next year’s PGA and a paycheck of $288,333. His previous earnings at professional events seem by some accounts to total under $20,000 cumulatively.
That’s a story right there. But there is more.
On the fifteenth par three hole of his fourth round, on the last day, he made a hole-in-one. Seriously. Some amateur golfers spend a lifetime hoping for a hole-in-one (or its equivalent in one’s profession to be sure). He did it under pressure and when it occurred, he was not even sure the ball went in. It actually damaged the cup! Crowds cheered so loudly, the voices could be heard in the clubhouse. And, after the tournament, he was given the flag from the 15th hole — a momento of a lasting memory.
Now that’s a story. But there is a wee bit more, as if the foregoing were not enough.
Apparently, and I did not know this was even legal, Block writes this phrase on his golf ball every tournament he plays in: “Why Not?” It’s a personal tradition that dates to 2007 and something he said to his caddie before a key shot back then. Pause and think about that question. Why Not?
Ask the Right Questions
Imagine if our young people, at all ages and stages, thought about the power of the possible and were not persuaded or affected by the negative dim that often surrounds us. For those without parental or familial support, image the power of repeatedly asking: Why Not?
I have often remarked about the importance of teaching folks to ask good questions. Indeed, we can role model that by repeatedly asking our students good questions so they learn the art of asking them themselves.
So, here’s a good question we all should be asking as we march forward in time, striving (one would hope) for some success, some satisfaction, some ways to improve a world gone wrong in many many ways, some connection, some intimacy, some happiness, some joy, some sense of accomplishment, some love: Why Not?
And I would add: And if not now, when?
Note: A special warm thanks to JS who shares ideas with me daily and helps me to believe in a better tomorrow. And, for those who want links to the Michael Block story, and there are plenty out there, try this one. It will warm your heart and mind.
Our daily news is bad. It is so bad that some people don’t even listen to or read the news anymore. It is hard to find a good news story and if they exist, they seem to be buried behind an avalanche of bad news.
The bad news takes all forms.
There is death and dying. There are natural disasters. There is evidence that our mental health is declining and our loneliness is increasing. We are struggling with creating intimacy with others. We have new types of ticks that can kill us; we have street drugs that can and do eat away at our skin. We have politicians who seem to lack all capacity to compromise and who are comfortable with inflammatory rhetoric. We have a now former US Attorney from MA, Rachel Rollins, who seemed to believe the rules didn’t apply to her. We have the children of politicians who behave poorly — for starters, we have AJ Baker (the former MA governor now head of the NCAA’s son and Riley Dowell, the daughter of a US Representative. We have high profile figures with unethical behavior — people who seem oblivious to the hue and cry surrounding them. A wee list: Clarence Thomas (add in his wife); Dianne Feinstein; Bill Gates (and his affair with a Bridge playing Russian woman decades younger, accounting in part for his link to Jeffrey Epstein); Ja’ Morant brandishing weapons and other athletes who make horrific mistakes like Jalen Carter. And speaking of weapons, we have more shootings now than in any similar time frame; once safe places like schools and malls no longer seem safe. We have a rise in banned books for reasons that seem illogical and increased discrimination and denial of rights with respect to many individuals. We have counterfeit parts in manufacturing settings that make safety a question in far too many situations. We have far too many horses dying/being euthanized at key tracks across the US for reasons that may or may not be clear. We have a former president found guilty in a civil court of sexual misconduct. And don’t get me started on corporate bad actors — from Elizabeth Holmes who is headed off to prison (that’s unusual) to the Sackler family (what a saga that is).
Some days it just feels as if the earth has fallen off its moral axis and is careening over a cliff, never to return.
The Value of Good News and An Amazing Good News Story
So what do we have to cheer us on, to give us hope? Sure, some of these stories are “small” and don’t involve those with money or fame or power but in the aggregate, these small stories are useful to read about and focus upon as they remind us that the future is not all bleak. Sure there are books about success stories and with commencement season upon us, there are many nice stories of individual and collective success. Good things do happen to some good people and some people do the right thing, day in and day out.
It is a very recent sports story (in golf no less, a sport often played by many as they age unlike baseball or basketball) that has captured my heart and mind and it is worth sharing. Some of you likely saw the whole thing unfold for 4 days on TV coverage of the PGA championship but it is well worth revisiting. And, while it may not seem to have power of the bad news, if we listen to all pieces of the story as we know them (and assuming them to be true as reported), we can pinpoint a moment of joy (actually several moments) and hope and a reason to do the right thing and believe in oneself — today and tomorrow.
So, here goes the “small” story.
Michael Block is head golf pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in CA. He’s 46, married for 18 years with two teenage children. He was one of just a few dozen pros entered into the just completed PGA 2023 championship at Oak Hill — considered a “major” golf event. He received the last available sponsor’s exemption — a spot given to those who haven’t previously qualified for the tournament.
That’s a story right there. Apparently, he’s a really good decent guy who works hard. And, a door opened.
Then came the PGA championship. For starters, he was in the top 10 finishers on each of the first three days of the tournament. Top ten among golf’s elite. That’s pretty amazing. Under the glare of the media and his peers and heroes, he was playing amazing golf, never looking at the scoreboard.
That’s a story right there. But there is more.
He finished tied for 15th place and played the last round with Rory McIlroy. Imagine that. How thrilling and it wasn’t an easy round. And he earned a spot at next year’s PGA and a paycheck of $288,333. His previous earnings at professional events seem by some accounts to total under $20,000 cumulatively.
That’s a story right there. But there is more.
On the fifteenth par three hole of his fourth round, on the last day, he made a hole-in-one. Seriously. Some amateur golfers spend a lifetime hoping for a hole-in-one (or its equivalent in one’s profession to be sure). He did it under pressure and when it occurred, he was not even sure the ball went in. It actually damaged the cup! Crowds cheered so loudly, the voices could be heard in the clubhouse. And, after the tournament, he was given the flag from the 15th hole — a momento of a lasting memory.
Now that’s a story. But there is a wee bit more, as if the foregoing were not enough.
Apparently, and I did not know this was even legal, Block writes this phrase on his golf ball every tournament he plays in: “Why Not?” It’s a personal tradition that dates to 2007 and something he said to his caddie before a key shot back then. Pause and think about that question. Why Not?
Ask the Right Questions
Imagine if our young people, at all ages and stages, thought about the power of the possible and were not persuaded or affected by the negative dim that often surrounds us. For those without parental or familial support, image the power of repeatedly asking: Why Not?
I have often remarked about the importance of teaching folks to ask good questions. Indeed, we can role model that by repeatedly asking our students good questions so they learn the art of asking them themselves.
So, here’s a good question we all should be asking as we march forward in time, striving (one would hope) for some success, some satisfaction, some ways to improve a world gone wrong in many many ways, some connection, some intimacy, some happiness, some joy, some sense of accomplishment, some love: Why Not?
And I would add: And if not now, when?
Note: A special warm thanks to JS who shares ideas with me daily and helps me to believe in a better tomorrow. And, for those who want links to the Michael Block story, and there are plenty out there, try this one. It will warm your heart and mind.