What I Learned Today 😒

Today I learned – well, realized is more the right word – that it doesn't do me any good to be an informed citizen. Actually, to further clarify, this isn't a recent realization.

About 7 years ago I decided to go on a media fast. Every time I turned on the “news” I was angry, horrified, overwhelmed, and just plain exhausted.

People would yell, children would get blown up, politicians would lie and give my money away, and celebrities would act a fool.

I didn't intend the fast to last 7 years, but it did, and it's the single best thing I've ever done for my psychological well-being.

My reasoning was: if there's nothing I can do about any of these things right now, or in the near future, what good does it do to know them? It only stresses me out. And instead of one miserable life on this planet, we now have two.

I consume news now on a need-to-know basis. If there's a hurricane barreling toward my hometown, the news goes on, I learn what I need to know right now, and then it goes back off.

I'm happier, more stable, and more able to focus on my work and the people I care about.

Whom are you going to vote for? someone asked me recently.

I dunno. Nobody, I guess.

Disapproving face.

Why aren't you voting?

I'm not educated enough about any of the candidates, nor am I willing to take the time to become so, I answered, matter-of-factly.

But we need you to get out there and make your voice count, he replied.

That's probably true, I say. But do you really want an un-educated voter skewing results? Wouldn't you rather have voters who understand the issues and candidates voting?

He was kinda put off by that.

I explain I've been on a media fast for years and don't really know what's going on in the world. How I'm very careful about the kinds of information I let into my brain.

You know...there's a lot of suffering out there. He went into something about how I should be conscious of it because it's important to know about the suffering of others. (We're a couple of generations removed. He, from the hippy 60s era, and me from the I-don't-know-what 90s.) I got a sense it was going in the direction of a “you kids these days” type talk.

I'm aware that there's a lot of suffering in the world. With or without the news.

Conversation ended rather uncomfortably at that point.