The news keeps flowing and the brain cannot cope. It’s just a buzzing now and hard to process, to discern patterns and work out what it all means.
How do I gain perspective?
If a minority view gets a lot of media coverage and is very loud, does that mean that the majority or the government should change policy / opinion? Anti-vaccine mandate protests in Wellington are prolonged yet illegal. Vaccine mandates are a tough part of the COVID response but have helped to control acute disease and unnecessary deaths so far. If a disease is highly contagious but milder than the previous mutations should one allow it to spread without restrictions? Being in a world where immediacy and knee-jerk reactions dominate is hard. How do I retain perspective, how do I feel like a valid member of society if my opinion / voice is quieter than the minority’s?
Humanity has been in a fragile state for a number of decades now. The domination of capitalism, making money at all costs and social media has meant that the definition of political and societal norms has changed. Just because it has changed, does that mean that I should change too? That I should remain quiet? The peak of a COVID outbreak does not feel like a responsible time to counter-protest in person, emails seems weak and discussions with friends or peers doesn’t influence the world at large. There is war in Europe, discontent and sickness at home and a feeling of disconnection from those back in the UK / Ireland.
I have an appetite to be informed and to keep up with the news. But this feels harmful right now and the world keeps turning whether I am ‘informed’ or not. Should I keep my world small – concentrate only on what is in front of me at home and at work? The tools I use to keep balance have not been working of late as I feel disgruntled most of the time. There does not seem to be a reasonable balance in the media about current events and what is good for people / the country / the world in the long-term. It’s all about now and what individuals or small groups think is right or wrong,
If that is the new normal then where do the rest of us fit in? It seems more questions than answers right now. Perhaps that’ ok. Maybe it’s time for the world to take a few spins without my obsessing about it.
Perhaps just living each day without being affected by outside events is ok for a few days. One thing is for sure and that’s there will be new events by the day or hour. Concentrating on your own solid base may be best way to approach what it is to come.