You’re born where and when you’re born. And then you have to go out in the world and function somehow. You have to get up every day and do work of some kind.
I used to be a news addict.
Years ago, I would read news on Twitter or Google as soon as I’d wake up. I would follow news on Google all day long. Just constantly refreshing and reading news on my breaks. And there’s always fresh news being reported. The news is everywhere, all the time. I like learning and reading and information, and the internet is great for that.
But I would start to think obsessively over things I’d read.
The constant news consumption was affecting my mental state.
So I realized I had to stop actively following the news. For my own mental health. To be able to function at my job and in my life, to pay rent and put food on the table.
It’s strange and interesting to think that the world was so different from this before just 40 or 50 years ago.
Obsessively following the 24 hour news cycle is not healthy. It can completely poison your brain – on any side of the political spectrum. The human brain was never meant to take in constant news from unlimited areas and sources all day, every day.
We’re really the first humans that have this huge, interconnected global communication network. First the telephone, then TV, and now the internet. And now, the news on TV and the internet and all of our technology has become nothing short of a political firehose.
The thing is, even after stopping following the news obsessively, I STILL end up seeing or hearing about big news items (imagine that). You just can’t help seeing or hearing this or that piece of information sometimes.
And that is how pervasive the news cycle is.
It’s extremely important in life to seek and find your joy. But this doesn’t mean we should slide into apathy, nihilism, cynicism, or becoming desensitized to things. Empathy and/or sympathy for your fellow man is important. But also be prepared for all the hate out there. Hate from fear. These racists, white supremacists and reactionaries are feeding ignorant people lies and fear. Politics is divisive – its goal is to distract and divide.
This is why it’s important to find things you like and things you believe in. We’re all only here for a short time. When possible, helping your fellow man or woman while we’re still here on this rock is important.
An ability to talk about things I love with people all over the world is one of the many reasons I love being on Mastodon. On there, it’s all about the things you like. Not the things you hate. Or I should say, it can be about the things you like. When curated correctly. And there’s no ads, and no news, unless that’s something you want to follow. That’s a beautiful thing. Just humans sharing joy and ideas.
The internet!
But also, one more thing to remember going into this next U.S. election season —
NEVER LET THE FASCIST FUCKS WIN.
space • time • tech 