3 Mistakes We Make When We Read About Suffering

On our inability to carry the weight of this world.

Nathan W. Pyle / Via buzzfeed.com

When I produced television shows at NBC, I would read about suffering constantly. We tried to find uplifting stories — diamonds in the rough. I would travel to places that had been scorched by a wildfire (Bastrop County, Texas) or devastated by a historic tornado (Joplin, Mo.) and meet survivors, then we would tell their stories.

The wide swath of Joplin that was hit looked like this. Trees — if they were standing at all — had been stripped bare.

Nathan W. Pyle / Via buzzfeed.com

My gig at NBC ended years ago, but obviously I've never stopped reading the news. In fact, I read more news on my phone now than anywhere else, and it never ends.

So much of the news is tragic (as anyone who works in news can tell you), and over time I've noticed a pattern emerging whenever I read about suffering.

Here are three mistakes I made, and I think many people make when reading about these events.


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