Is it me, or does it feel like we are bombarded with “Breaking News” everywhere we look? It does not matter which social media platform we are on—whether it’s news websites, journal websites, physical newspapers, or TV channels we are watching—it feels like doomsday every day.
I am not sure when it became like this or when it started to feel like this for me. Maybe it’s due to the line of work I’m in and having to see the effects of political decisions made in the last couple of years, let alone the rhetoric used in the last couple of months.
I have yearly subscriptions to two different newspaper websites and subscribe to receive the latest research in the field of social work. I used to love spending time reading articles, staying informed, and being updated on the research that is happening in our field. Lately, I have turned away from it all. I don’t want to listen to any of it, let alone read it. I don’t want to know what’s falling apart and what’s being taken away.
I am tired.
I am tired of people telling me what to do.
I am tired of people telling us how to feel.
For my own sanity, I am choosing to ignore the news until I decide not to. I choose one day out of the week now to read and gain knowledge on what’s happening—the rest of the days, I live my life the best I can with the hand I have been dealt. On a broader scale, I do not think what has happened in the last decade is normal—we have been through so, so much as a country, let alone as individuals here. It’s not normal to hear despair, let alone read it. Having a phone on hand, where we can access a wealth of information all at once, has been mind-boggling. We need boundaries. We also need some hope.
There is so much going on all at once—locally, nationally, and internationally—that I cannot wrap my brain around how we even got here as earthlings. We live in a time where saying all humans, regardless of their race, color, language, nationality, etc., should be treated like human beings is considered controversial. It’s insanity to me to think that there are people who think other humans are less than. What a dangerous line of thinking to have, let alone to believe that you are better than anyone. It’s scary to know that we work, communicate, and are friends with people who think of us as less than. Why?
I know firsthand through my work that we are only six paychecks away from being homeless—one payment, one catastrophe, one mistake, and we could be on the street. So to think that you are above another person—because of what? You live in America and not a war-torn country? Or because you have a salaried job? Or because you’ve had higher education? Or maybe because of the color of your skin tone? Reality is, we are not Jeff Bezos out here—we are not billionaires. Sure, millionaires are more common, but buddy, let’s not get this twisted—we are not on the same playing field as Mark Zuckerberg. We are not shielded from the decisions our leaders make, let alone the way people see us or treat us- we are exposed.
Choosing to ignore the news is a privilege. One that I thankfully have for now.