I gave up on the “news” and I’m a much happier person.

I don’t watch any of the cable TV news networks. I don’t read the paper. I don’t listen to NPR or any other radio station. I don’t read magazines. I don’t visit Internet news websites.

Most importantly I don’t discuss the news with anyone. When I see newsies at work I walk the other way. When I see a news-ish thing on FaceBook I leave that page. If I overhear a news-ish conversation I tune out.

Here’s what Thoreau had to say on the subject:

And I am sure that I never read any memorable news in a newspaper. If we read of one man robbed, or murdered, or killed by accident, or one house burned, or one vessel wrecked, or one steamboat blown up, or one cow run over on the Western Railroad, or one mad dog killed, or one lot of grasshoppers in the winter — we never need read of another. One is enough. If you are acquainted with the principle, what do you care for a myriad instances and applications? To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit and read it are old women over their tea.

I’ve been doing this for a few months now. And you know what? Life is good. In fact, my life is sooo much better now. I can sleep at night. I drive home after work with a smile on my face. I have no idea what’s going on in the world and I couldn’t be happier.

So it’s true what they say. Ignorace IS bliss.