Gleaning Wisdom From ‘Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me’ On NPR
For my birthday, my husband surprised me with tickets to a taping of one of our favorite NPR shows, “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me,” the weekly quiz show that tries to stump listeners — and a panel of comics — with questions about current news.
The show is usually laugh-out-loud funny due to the quirky humor of host Peter Sagal and the asides that comics like Paula Poundstone make about both serious and frivolous news. Often, though, you can learn something quite fascinating.
One question this past week involved a movement begun in Belgium called “No Complaining January.” You might have heard of “Dry January” where people swear off alcohol post-holidays. Instead of no “wineing,” this new movement calls for no “whining.” It’s a good idea not only to begin the year, but to carry throughout the rest of 2025.
Think of it: in a world with so much conflict, anger and downright meanness in it right now, what if we all paused, stopped ourselves from saying something grumpy or nasty and replaced whatever statement we were going to make with a positive comment — or dare I say — simply silence.
It reminds me of a practice I learned when I spent time at Mount St. Scholastica Monastery in Atchison, Kansas researching my book on modern monastic life, “Atchison Blue: A Search for Silence, A Spiritual Home and a Living Faith.” The Benedictine sisters there taught me three questions to ask myself before I speak. Is what I am about to say true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
In the spirit of “No Complaints January,” the “Wait, Wait” panelists were given actual headlines and challenged to say something positive about a troubling, even gross situation. One of the headlines — all from true stories — involved a woman who deliberately defecated on a retail store floor as a diversionary tactic in a shoplifting scheme.
Paula Poundstone’s positive take on the incident: “You don’t have to clean the restrooms!”
In another incident, a firecracker accidentally fell and exploded in a man’s crotch. Panelist Faith Salie’s positive response: “No need for a vasectomy.” And so on.
These were obviously outrageous stories likely gleaned from The Star, The Globe or some other tabloid. Still, the concept of trying to ferret out the positive is a valid one — especially as so many of us struggle to navigate the endless sea of troubling news already emanating from the new Trump administration. It’s a little like Mr. Rogers encouraging us to “look for the helpers” whenever there is tragedy.
The great peace activist Eileen Egan was Mother Teresa’s close friend, confidant and traveling companion. In researching a book about Eileen, I came across a story she liked to tell about her friend. Often Mother Teresa’s aims outpaced what in reality could be done. Eileen frequently had to be the bearer of unwelcome news. One day Mother Teresa told Eileen to stop using the words “bad news.”
“What words would you like me to use instead?” Eileen asked.
“Why not say blessings,” Mother Teresa replied.
Soon afterward, the two were at an airport, waiting to return to Calcutta after one of Mother Teresa’s international speaking engagements. Eileen informed the future saint, “Mother, we have a very special blessing today. Our flight has been delayed and we’re going to be sitting in this airport for another four hours.”
It’s a funny story but contains a certain wisdom. Psychologist Viktor Frankl wrote about his experience in a Nazi concentration camp in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Frankl discovered he could find purpose and meaning even in the face of intense suffering.
Frankl describes an evening in which, exhausted, starving. and barely sure he could survive another day, he looked up into the hills beyond the camp and saw a light shining. The light fueled his determination to survive, to return to the life he once knew, to the people he loved and the professional work he found so meaningful.
The second half of my birthday gift were tickets to the Broadway musical “Come From Away.” The show tells the story of the people of Gander, Newfoundland (population 9, 651) who welcomed, fed, and comforted nearly 7,000 airline passengers whose flights landed in their town when American airspace was closed after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
I wept through almost the entire show, moved by the trust and caring that unfolded between the Newfoundlanders and the strangers who had “come from away.” There was a particularly moving scene where the islanders set aside a space where Jewish, Moslem and Christian passengers could each say their prayers.
Even with dark political days likely ahead, can we keep looking for the helpers, for examples of trust and mutual caring no matter what is happening in the news? Can we keep focused on what nourishes the soul, what lifts the heart, what engages the mind? How can we make 2025 a “No Complaining Year?”
