Thanks marshal!
how to combat the news
It’s quite bad isn’t it. The world. The state of things. Is it worse than ever or are we just too well-informed? Who cares really. It makes no difference. To use the idiomatic phrase that we millennials love… it is what it is. I don’t avoid the news entirely but I’m not constantly reading it either. Part me of feels that it’s a little irresponsible to disengage with it completely but I appreciate that it is just too heavy for some.
How do we combat the onslaught of updates?
My phone is set to round up the news notifications and then show them thrice across the day. Bombings with my breakfast, scandal with my sandwiches and terrorism with my tea. Yum yum. Bleak as that sounds, it has helped a little. The bulletins have felt decidedly less incessant. After all, it is better to eat full meals than it is to constantly snack.
Staying off social media might help but there are plenty of reasons to be on there too. There is so much smart and funny content on there that I’m reluctant to miss out on. But all it takes is one clumsy tap here or a hate-watch there and the algorithm interprets it as positive interest. A portal opens and you are drowning in virulent material that shreds your faith in humanity.
How do we shoulder the weight of the world?
You need some serious traps to do it these days. Sources of enjoyment can feel inextricably tangled with bad things. That director you really like turns out to have (allegedly) mistreated a minor on set. That brand that does smart, affordable clothing is just fast fashion with good PR. That global sporting event that you love watching with your mates is no doubt going to be tarnished by the host country’s insane leader. Can you separate art from the artist? Can you buy clothes ethically without spending a fortune? Can you ignore the lurking fascist forces? Does it make a difference to anyone but you? Some choices are easier to justify than others. I find that integrity waxes and wanes and we are all hypocrites in some regard. If you don’t think you are then…
That is not to say there is no antidote to the output of news organisations. A good friend of mine who went through a gut-wrenching break-up last year makes a point of having ‘things to look forward to’ so as not to feel stuck in her sadness. It’s an approach that should be widely adopted but it’s easy to forget that it’s a privilege to have the means to book tickets and afford meals out. Cheap fun? In this economy? Not likely, but it depends on how you get your kicks.
Personally, it is usually people that improve my outlook. Simple pleasures like a cinema trip or a pint in the sun with my mates soothe me when put into my calendar. Even better when they’re impromptu. But it’s not just people I know, it’s strangers too. Parkrun is full of them. (Bear with me). Each event relies on a team of volunteers to keep it going and the participants, if they are so inclined, voice their gratitude. Thanks marshal! Until very recently, my ratio of runs to voluntary shifts was heavily skewed in my favour. Latent guilt nudged me and I signed up for a post-birthday-pub-drinks shift as a marshal. Mildly hungover, armed with a walkie talkie and sweating after being placed on the furthest point from the start line, I took in the lovely view from atop the hill and waited for the fast lads to come through. I gave the frontrunner a big clap and congratulations on his 200th run and got nothing back. He was in the zone but I still felt a little miffed. Faith was quickly restored with waves of gratitude as parkrunners sped, jogged and strolled past me. Some shouted it, some wheezed and others just nodded. As an aside, it’s quite a hard thing to respond to. Being thanked for the not-arduous task of standing in the same spot for an hour on a sunny day feels a little silly. Anyway, the experience was an uplifting one.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that you can build all the walls you like. Turn the news off, get off your phone etc. But, as the old sports cliché goes, attack is the best form of defence. So I’ll try to be more proactive and seek out the good parts of humanity.
LOVED! And thrilled to have been linked in here too!