Mind your sanity. Connect close to home. Set boundaries. Support the media you trust. Live your life. Don't feel guilty about it. There's no better advice than that.
Thanks for this important reminder David. The news feels very overwhelming right now but I can choose to watch or not. The more difficult (crazy?) things get the more time we all need to spend taking care of ourselves and, as you say, engaging in ways where we can make a difference we are called to make.
This advise sits close to heart and David got it just right to save the sanity looking at future with fake news becoming easier to produce with each day.
I just stumbled upon this post a month after you published it as I was scrolling through looking to get out of my own news reading trap. This is excellent and furthers my little personal thesis that a library card is the greatest gift to sanity. There are two people in my life who really need to read this, so I'll be passing it along. Thanks for this one. ✌️
A great article and solid advice Mr. Moscrop! Totally agree on the reading of physical books, and I'd also reco folks to step into a hobby shop, as I've done in the past few weeks. For many (men especially), it'll be like stepping into a happy time machine of fun projects and wonders from ones youth awaiting to be enjoyed again.
The amount of ink spilled trying to prevent what happened yesterday affirms the need to be judicious in consuming it. All noise and most of it not worth a damn.
“You may feel compelled to not just be informed, but also active in building what, to you, is a better world.”
I can see the value in your advice for each person, especially with respect to their mental health. Where I remain uncertain relates to the quote above from your piece. There are a few scenarios, or time frames, that relate to being part of making a change. And, I suppose, the path chosen depends on what actions or developments we each believe might make a difference in building that better world. In the near term, it would seem to involve a return to what in 2016 was called the Resistance in the US. As Canadians we don’t have much of a role to play in that regard. However, based on what I see on social media there are many in Canada that might want to take a similar position with respect to potential developments here.
On a longer term view, there are serious questions to ask about how we might re-establish a general sense of ‘common good’ and agreement on a respectful ability to discuss what would help move us towards that ‘common good’. Perhaps that can start, as you suggest, by pulling back a degree from assiduously following every political twist and turn to focus on a more local level. I suppose one could hope that it could be possible to build back that middle ground from the bottom up. However, there is a risk that pulling back in this way simply removes guardrails such that we reach a point where it becomes even harder to build a middle or movement towards a better society.
I successfully stayed offline most of the day yesterday, only to relent and doomscroll for an hour before bed. It’s like trying to break an addiction!
It's absolutely like that. But you can do it!
I started charging my phone downstairs to break this habit! It very much is an addiction!
Good advice. I hope I can follow it closely enough to preserve my sanity.
Same!
Thanks for this important reminder David. The news feels very overwhelming right now but I can choose to watch or not. The more difficult (crazy?) things get the more time we all need to spend taking care of ourselves and, as you say, engaging in ways where we can make a difference we are called to make.
This is excellent advice. Thank you.
Please keep reminding us on the regular!
This advise sits close to heart and David got it just right to save the sanity looking at future with fake news becoming easier to produce with each day.
I just stumbled upon this post a month after you published it as I was scrolling through looking to get out of my own news reading trap. This is excellent and furthers my little personal thesis that a library card is the greatest gift to sanity. There are two people in my life who really need to read this, so I'll be passing it along. Thanks for this one. ✌️
A great article and solid advice Mr. Moscrop! Totally agree on the reading of physical books, and I'd also reco folks to step into a hobby shop, as I've done in the past few weeks. For many (men especially), it'll be like stepping into a happy time machine of fun projects and wonders from ones youth awaiting to be enjoyed again.
The amount of ink spilled trying to prevent what happened yesterday affirms the need to be judicious in consuming it. All noise and most of it not worth a damn.
I wish I had this kind of discipline. Mos def going to be better about it in the next month at least and see if I can turn it into a habit.
Dropped of twitter, bsky and FB. Check in on the Guardian, CBC and Substack for #AB Poli and folks like you. Reading more, running more. Better.
“You may feel compelled to not just be informed, but also active in building what, to you, is a better world.”
I can see the value in your advice for each person, especially with respect to their mental health. Where I remain uncertain relates to the quote above from your piece. There are a few scenarios, or time frames, that relate to being part of making a change. And, I suppose, the path chosen depends on what actions or developments we each believe might make a difference in building that better world. In the near term, it would seem to involve a return to what in 2016 was called the Resistance in the US. As Canadians we don’t have much of a role to play in that regard. However, based on what I see on social media there are many in Canada that might want to take a similar position with respect to potential developments here.
On a longer term view, there are serious questions to ask about how we might re-establish a general sense of ‘common good’ and agreement on a respectful ability to discuss what would help move us towards that ‘common good’. Perhaps that can start, as you suggest, by pulling back a degree from assiduously following every political twist and turn to focus on a more local level. I suppose one could hope that it could be possible to build back that middle ground from the bottom up. However, there is a risk that pulling back in this way simply removes guardrails such that we reach a point where it becomes even harder to build a middle or movement towards a better society.
I was talking with my son about this yesterday. I will share this article with him.
Good advice!
For me, I find nature restorative. Just a walk in the woods puts me in a good mood.
Same - getting out in nature is the key for me.
Thanks for the reminder to look up and around. I forgot how many great songs I have on my playlist!
One of your best.