Media companies need to get and keep our attention. The more people they can attract, and the longer they can hold them, the more money they can make from ads. Cable news channels, on air 24×7, know that a cheap way to maintain our attention is to make us angry and scared. A tried and true tool in their arsenal is to show people shouting at each other. Turn off the TV and use the time you save to do something useful. Or better yet, just listen to NPR’s StoryCorps. It will put you in a far better state of mind, enhancing your ability to do things that will have a positive impact on your life, not to mention the lives of people you care about. I’ve embedded a clip in this post of a father and daughter, who are on opposite ends of a political divide, having a badly-needed conversation. … More Turn Off Cable News. Listen to StoryCorps Instead.