I had a similar conversation with my partner during the pandemic…he used to share a lot of news with me and we realised we needed some boundaries around it for the sake of our wellbeing.
At the same time, I do feel a pull to stay present to what’s happening — in Gaza, in Iran, in the US. There’s so much pain in the world right now, and it’s hard to know what to do with it all. So I try to stay informed just enough to take a small action or bear witness and then step back so I don’t burn out.
What’s enough, though? That’s the hard part. I think we each find our own threshold. There’s no right or wrong 💛
Thanks Sarah, I feel the same pull to bear witness and am grateful for friends who have consistently shown up in all sorts of places for helping me to stay informed and present beyond the mainstream media and superficial headlines. It is hard to know what to do with it all but I figure we'll keep on checking where the food we buy has come from (it's why I loved Annie Macmanus sharing the actions of her father in law), bearing witness, taking these small actions. Hx
How interesting that even in the early 1960s, your mother was wise enough to not start the day with the news! I, too, have struggled this past week or so with boundaries around my news consumption (and it is consumption, and like all consumption, more often than not it is mindless). Switching off feels like such a privilege when there is so much that needs our attention, but when so much of what is sold as news is actually propaganda, how are we to actually bear witness?
Yes, thank you for helping me to clarify what's really been going on in my head - news/ propaganda consumption is the thing. It's not just the mindless refreshing of the news cycle but it's refreshing news sources you don't trust so why do it. Try harder, read wider, put in the effort to get educated. Writing this has felt like a kick up the backside.
It's so good isn't it, I felt like it landed just at the right time. I really loved picturing he father in law with his trolley of goods and demanding it be taken off the shelves. We've been boycotting food from Israel but I hadn't thought to take it to the next level.
I had a similar conversation with my partner during the pandemic…he used to share a lot of news with me and we realised we needed some boundaries around it for the sake of our wellbeing.
At the same time, I do feel a pull to stay present to what’s happening — in Gaza, in Iran, in the US. There’s so much pain in the world right now, and it’s hard to know what to do with it all. So I try to stay informed just enough to take a small action or bear witness and then step back so I don’t burn out.
What’s enough, though? That’s the hard part. I think we each find our own threshold. There’s no right or wrong 💛
Thanks Sarah, I feel the same pull to bear witness and am grateful for friends who have consistently shown up in all sorts of places for helping me to stay informed and present beyond the mainstream media and superficial headlines. It is hard to know what to do with it all but I figure we'll keep on checking where the food we buy has come from (it's why I loved Annie Macmanus sharing the actions of her father in law), bearing witness, taking these small actions. Hx
How interesting that even in the early 1960s, your mother was wise enough to not start the day with the news! I, too, have struggled this past week or so with boundaries around my news consumption (and it is consumption, and like all consumption, more often than not it is mindless). Switching off feels like such a privilege when there is so much that needs our attention, but when so much of what is sold as news is actually propaganda, how are we to actually bear witness?
Yes, thank you for helping me to clarify what's really been going on in my head - news/ propaganda consumption is the thing. It's not just the mindless refreshing of the news cycle but it's refreshing news sources you don't trust so why do it. Try harder, read wider, put in the effort to get educated. Writing this has felt like a kick up the backside.
Also, thank you for sharing Annie Macmanus' piece. I just read it and it's profound. 🙏🏻
It's so good isn't it, I felt like it landed just at the right time. I really loved picturing he father in law with his trolley of goods and demanding it be taken off the shelves. We've been boycotting food from Israel but I hadn't thought to take it to the next level.