Some of the Horrors of Modern Life

The Australian state of Queensland - usually referred to as "Sunny Queensland" for its wonderful sub tropical climate, despite occasional serious weather events each summer, is reeling after a week or horrific disasters.

Who would have thought that a day out in a popular theme park - part of our tourist hub for over 30 years - would be the site of a horrific accident that claimed four lives? It damaged so many souls as family members watched their loved ones die, and young staff had to deal with the results of the calamity - including having their work place shut down. It will re-open but days of waiting and wondering, thinking and reliving the experience is taking its toll.

Thousands of people have rallied round, in support of the families of the deceased, with thousands of flowers left near the scene of the accident, and several candlelight vigils. A place of fun has become a shrine of sadness.

And only a couple of days later, a bus driver is killed when another threw an incendiary device onto him as he sat in the driver's seat of the bus. Luckily the passengers escaped, thanks to brave people who saw what was happening.

There will be so many people who will bear the scars of these two horrific events for the rest of their lives. Not only the family members who have to endure the funerals of their family and friends, but those on the scene - the police, ambulance and fire officers.

Investigators will perhaps eventually determine the cause of the accident at Dreamworld, and the courts and coroner will investigate the killing of the bus driver. But it's not just those events, that disturb us.

Our television, radio, newspapers and the Internet report daily on the horrific events that occur around the world. It's wars in the Middle East, it's accidents - natural disasters and human instigated events. Headlines every day - of things that we'd rather not know about but that have become part of our daily lives unless we are lucky enough to escape the press.

One of our major news producers has created a Good News website, where only good news is featured. I often go to it when I am in need of some uplifting information.

I do feel that the regular media feed like hungry beasts on the bad news stories. Do the public really want to read such horror day after day? Do they really want it pushed at them over and over? A disaster often has many featured stories well after the event has occurred. Could they write not focus so much on the negatives of life? Could they not try to find more positive tales to interweave with the horror?

Newspapers are not getting the readership they once had, as people can get their information in other ways, but I wonder if people are not just turning off?

I certainly know of people who do not watch any news, and rarely buy a newspaper. Some are so sick of the bombardment of negative stories. I wonder too, if some wharped people are inspired by all the negative and are encouraged to contribute to the violence and seek their own "glory"?

Our leaders, our politicians, our law enforcers are not able to make changes that reduce the violence that is part of our every-day lives. There must be a solution.

It's certainly a tough world to survive in these days. I hope for a happier future.