Living in the world versus living in the news
"As far as you can manage it, you should make sure your psychological center of gravity is in your real and immediate world — the world of your family and friends and neighborhood, your work and your creative projects, as opposed to the world of presidencies and governments, social forces and global emergencies." - Oliver Burkeman
A guy I've been seeing recently shared the above quote with me, and it's the best distillation I've seen so far for how to approach not only this current presidency, but any presidency. Burkeman goes on to talk about how destructive "living in the news" is to ourselves as individuals, and frankly, societies.
We have to remember the news environment we find ourselves in the United States is toxic by design. Sensationalism and fear sell ads, which makes money, which lines the pockets of the investors of these news organizations.
Many of us have, for too long, held onto this romantic notion about the news. Yes, a free press is a vital pillar to any democracy or republic. At the same time, a large chunk of our press is incentivized and driven in ways that cause harm to people. Their professed mission may be to inform, but their underlying motivation is to inflame. That's where we as individual citizens get caught in the crosshairs.
For many on the Left, where I spend my time, there's this unspoken obligation to know every single detail of what's going on in the world. If you're not aware of everything, you're guilty of neglect and "not caring." It's a sentiment I believed for a long time, advocated for, and then finally pushed back on since the last US presidential election in November 2024.
"Living in the news" has an all-encompassing nature to it. It's suffocating. It's isolating, but also quickly spreads fear throughout a populace. It takes only a few seconds of scrolling on any social network to see someone post about a particular news event, then for a few, hundreds, even thousands, to comment, share it, or both.
Panic spreads like wildfire. Even if there's nothing that can be done by any of us to stop it. The horror show becomes the main event that we can't or rather refuse to escape. We feel obligated to subject ourselves to the horrors. Otherwise, we're labeled as heartless deniers, putting our heads in the sand.
Whether it's rabid capitalism or persistent fascism, these forces want us panicked, separated, and depleted. When we're in this state, we'll spend mindlessly, spiral into grief, and disconnect from each other. That's what these forces want. We're weakest when we've drenched ourselves in psychologically crippling news. We have no capacity to act. Instead, we flounder, dispirited and disempowered.
"Living in your immediate world," on the other hand, is a drastically different approach. This is where connections between people, the true fabric of any society, take center stage. It's easier to engage with screens, to keep at a distance. However, when we get into situations with other people, there's often uncertainty. But there's also a significant opening for belonging, togetherness, laughter, and shared emotions.
I think about a gathering I hosted last Saturday in a park here in San Francisco where everyone brought blankets, invited friends, we made s'mores, and simply spent time together. Magical! Did we forget the horrors going on in the world? No. Did we dwell on that during our time together? Nope. At the end of it, myself and many others left with our hearts a bit more full than before we met. There's an element of healing and rejuvenation when we gather.
And there are opportunities beyond social gatherings. Look for the opportunities in your neighborhood where people are in need or struggling. Get to know your neighbors. Hold a door open for someone. There are so many organizations that could benefit not only from your help, but from your presence. From the gift that is you.
Together, showing up in an embodied way, we have a great deal of power. And that scares the shit out of the dark forces now leading our nation. As we weave the fabric of togetherness, we gather insights and can unleash creativity that allows us to push back against the injustices we see day after day. From this place, we have more than enough capacity to outlast, outwork, and outmaneuver these forces that demean and divide.
This lesson of not "living in the news" took me close to 10 years to realize. My hope is that more people who believe in justice, fairness, and equality will stop living in the news and begin to more deeply weave the connections for our collective liberation. So many have been doing it for years, and decades, and beyond. They are the ones we can look to when we feel like giving up.
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To read more of Oliver Burke’s thoughts on this topic, visit his post Reality is right here.