Home Opinion Editorial: We all Must Be Better at Seeking Out Positivity

Editorial: We all Must Be Better at Seeking Out Positivity

by ECT

I admit it, I am tired. Tired of the negativity. It seems like without trying, negativity is easy to find these days, especially in Contra Costa County. It is as if negativity has become the low hanging fruit that everyone is focusing on for all the wrong reasons. It is time we start changing our tone as a community and start focusing on the good.

It starts with the news. This website has now made a commitment to become more balanced between breaking news and showcasing the positive in the community.

Not only for this publication, but all media should become more balanced. With so much time focused on the negative and “gotcha” journalism, perhaps its time to start spending more effort seeking out the good in the community. This would provide a community benefit in terms of mental health highlighting that the world is not ending.

Whether its COVID-19, financial issues, crime, politics, homelessness or protesting, I realize it is hard to look past the negativity of each and find the silver lining. I get it, but we have to be better in our responses to each. I know I do, especially ahead of an election this November.

Speaking of the election, we have to start talking about the issues, not the people. I have no doubt anyone in office or running for office, seeks election to destroy a community, they simply want to implement changes they feel are right and beneficial. Just like some may like things the way they are and see change as a bad thing. Either way, we need to limit the attacks and instead focus on the issue.

Honestly, I do not know if I am having a mental breakdown or if this is an epiphany, but the negativity is killing me and I believe its hurting our community. To be brutally honest, a few weeks ago, I was ready to pull the plug on this website. I was ready to start fresh doing something else because I have realized the effort in keeping up with the world, even this county, is just too great.

At least if I had shut it down, my mental health and anxiety would be greatly improved if nothing else. Needless to say, shutting this site down was not an option for many reasons.

Instead, after some soul searching I’ve opted to keep the site running under the direction that it will be seeking out more balance which includes showcasing the good in the community whether its people, businesses, non-profits or local government employees going above an beyond which makes this community better. Rather than focusing on what the community is not getting, we should focus on what we do have–and improve on that.

After all, plenty of people have taken a negative situation and turned it into a positive—these are the people we can all learn from and I hope to highlight.

As a community, we should start seeking more dialogue and better understanding of one another, not shouting objections disguised as insults until we are blue in the face—truthfully, many comments are meaningless, add no value, are knee-jerk reactions with little or no thought in an effort to see who can blow the most smoke and get the last word. After all, each of us have a different perspective and what is someone’s reality may not be someone else’s.

I challenge the community to become better listeners and open to getting uncomfortable in order to push your own beliefs to the limit—that is how we learn and develop understanding. We must stop focusing on the actions and instead begin digging deeper into the “why”. If one can understand the why, it will take care of the actions.

Now before you all think I am off my rocker, I am not ignorant to the fact that most news these days is focused on negativity, because after all, that is what sells and that is what drives traffic which pays the bills. I get it, but there has to be more to news than clicks and social media commenting.

With this change to a more balanced website, I know I am going to take a huge hit financially at a time when there is already little advertising dollars available as it is. But as I said, the negativity is killing me and money is not everything. Sure, there will be some of the same content folks are used to, but its no longer going to consume this site and be the driver for readership—I will be striving for a balance and turn off the 24-hour breaking news cycle.

I no longer wish to feel like I am my own version of Pavlov’s dog and spring into action when there is a fire, police activity, car crash, or a controversial city council issue. Some of these items deserve coverage, no doubt, but not at the level this site has been known for–I will be more picky on the content.

Finally, I believe we are in a mental health crisis and people have began to lose their minds from the impacts of COVID-19 and that deserves more discussion. Suicide prevention needs more coverage. Assistance programs need more coverage. Counselors should be given more coverage to more tips and tricks for readers that will make their lives better. Heck, education should be given more coverage along with more business coverage.

Happy doesn’t sell as much, I get that. But I believe it is what the community deserves to learn about, be aware of, and at least be presented with an alternative to all the negativity in this world.

My promise to the readership of this publication is over the coming weeks, months and years, you will see a much more balanced website that hopefully not only informs, but can bring awareness to issues as needed, but also inspire you with other stories not normally read here.

Positivity matters. Especially in today’s world of negativity. I ask for your help in bringing attention to this by shooting me an email so it can possibly be covered. Letters to the Editors are always welcome and businesses should also know anything we can do to help, please reach out.

Lets all do better. I hope this can be a start towards everyone working together for the greater good.


Mike Burkholder
Publisher of ECT
[email protected]

 


 

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18 comments

Susan Jenkins Aug 16, 2020 - 9:02 am

A brilliant idea. I have always taught my 3 kids that being negative, saying negative is easy it is the first impulse however, finding something positive requires thinking deeper.

Jamie Aug 16, 2020 - 9:06 am

Shut up

Jeff Adkins Aug 16, 2020 - 10:22 am

Hey I think adding some positive news would be great. Good luck!

FERNANDO C NAVARRO Aug 16, 2020 - 10:38 am

Translation: “People are not buying the fear porn ECT has been pumping and pumping ad-nauseam for the past 5-7 months. ECT is getting pushback and I cant handle it because it exposes me as a cabal collaborator. Time to change my stripes…yada yada yada.”

Typical modus operandi from the Editor. Since he pulled the same game plan when running for school board. Running to the “change the subject by blowing rainbows up our skirts” lest we figure out his ideology is the cause of the underlying problem.

History repeats its self.

Great job patriots keep up the heat and truth. The cabal is squirming!

Harry Palms Aug 16, 2020 - 1:24 pm

@ Ferdinand
Shuuuuuuuuuuuuut uuuuuuuuuuuppp

Julio Aug 16, 2020 - 8:22 pm

Truly disappointed in Mr Navarro

Frank Aug 16, 2020 - 10:54 am

I would be just happy if they would tell the whole story and not cherry pick the story. Seems that if you don’t watch or hear it live you don’t get the truth. Also a lot of news is not even reported in the main stream media.

Chumley Aug 16, 2020 - 11:23 am

I appreciate how quick ECT is on local breaking news. That usually is what it is….accidents, fires, etc. Keep the breaking news rolling, maybe add more local event stories, an event calendar and I think you will do just fine. Want to improve the general tone of the site? Get rid of the ability to leave comments…most are just name calling, racial, and ridiculous. It’s too easy to be anonymous here (as I am now) and use this feature to spew garbage. Send the trolls packing!

Karla Aug 16, 2020 - 12:10 pm

Yes Chumley! I agree with adding more local stories and getting rid of the comment section just like yahoo did! It’s so much better. Have a great day ?

fred scott Aug 16, 2020 - 5:41 pm

Without comments 75% of people that read this site won’t read this site anymore. Several other sites lately have done the same and we don’t read them at all anymore. Doesnt matter much as this site has been dying and very biased anyways lately and doesnt tell the while story, just his cherry picked version of events.

FakeManufactureredSystemicLiberalLies Aug 16, 2020 - 12:55 pm

POSITIVE NEWS:
At Least
Pastor Maynard hasn’t commented yet

FakeManufacturedSystemicLiberalLies Aug 16, 2020 - 1:02 pm

At Least
Pastor Maynard hasn’t commented

YET

Pastor Maynard Aug 16, 2020 - 2:49 pm

Thank you for your honesty. The sad reality is that most of this negativity & vitriolic methods of communication on this site derive from the old school, outdated, regressive racists still lingering in the East Bay. Thousands of Americans across the nation gathering to combat systematic racism isn’t the depressing part…the depressing part is the resistant waves of the redneck MAGa-mindclone masses mustering up enough collective intelligence to post internet comments. The truth remains: it’s the People vs the State. If your opinion still sounds like it came out Richard Nixon’s tear-soaked diary then it’s time to move on.

Will the real Fred Scott please stand up, please stand up. Aug 16, 2020 - 6:54 pm

This site should be it’s Name sake. East County. No more Politico 2.0. Tell about East County only. Who cares about Senator this and Representative that. That’s completely covered in you local TV news 24/7. You NEED to bring back the “Alerts” to inform East County residents of traffic and shut downs so we can take alternate routes.
Pick a local small business and do a weekly story on them, help them in this time of need, just doing a story, people will patronize them, giving them much needed revenue.
Bring BACK the LOCAL to this site and leave The BLAME STREAM media to the useless.
Open up to a possible partner to help share the cost and coverage. A war isn’t won by one.

LoveableCurmudgeon Aug 17, 2020 - 4:17 am

I admit to contributing to the negativity on this site, and I apologize g\for that. Doing this is really going affect some of your regulars, so prepare for some sniping. Another suggestion would be to limit the comments or not allow comments on stories you publish. Let the negative Nellies whine on their social media pages instead

FERNANDO C NAVARRO Aug 17, 2020 - 8:37 am

“Why yes…dear Herbert. The masses have woken up to our not so subtle attempts to subjugate them and have started to rebel. We must scurry like roaches and change the subject…if that doesn’t work start chastising them for.what we have been doing (you know …projecting) of that doesn’t work pull a MARCKIE MARCK MARXIST MOVE …and silence them by removing their remarks or just plain CENSORSHIP.

THAT WILL smoke them back into their chains.
Booowaahahahaha.”…

UM……NO! Has not worked for 100’s of years.

Dont beleive.me? Ask the EAST BERLINERS with their sledge hammers.

(AND.YES I PUT MY FULL NAME OUT THERE ..cuz its still about KEEPEN IT REAL)

TSG Aug 17, 2020 - 11:38 am

I enjoy reading the comment section. And we shouldn’t worry about negative comments. That’s in the nature that people want to improve negative things. If everything were positive, there would be nothing to do. Unfortunately, we also get comments like Pastor Maynard’s which are just rude and lack any decency. But the comment section shows a little bit the spectrum of people in EC, unless they start censoring like many other sites.

Dawn Aug 18, 2020 - 11:49 pm

I have no problems with negative comments! Screw ups brought on by the liberals running this state elicit negative comments and that’s good. I am definitely not a fan of censorship of ANY kind! Let it all hang out and people will make positive comments and bring helpful ideas how changes can take place.

Comments are closed.