Hi Upstream,

Personally I have learned not to watch the tv news or to read newspapers, in order not to be overwhelmed by the amount of suffering in the world, in all its myriad forms. It quickly becomes too much and leaves me feeling so powerless I can hardly get out of bed.

One of the most helpful books I have ever read, which relates to this, was "Shine one small corner of the world" I believe Shunryu Suzuki Roshi is the author. As the title suggests, and as many of the posts here also suggest, it is about choosing to focus on one's immediate neighbourhood as the place in which to see and do good. That can mean beginning with the inside of one's own skull, moving to family and then actual neighbours. The same principle I guess as the famous quote "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." (Sorry I don't know who that is attributed to)