I used to love reading the news, every morning to find out what was happening around the world. Now? I mute the notifications, change the channels and look away when I see a newspaper. The last few years, especially the last year, has made being informed, agonizing.
Thanks to today's technology, we never have to be uninformed, the constant influx of news has made sure that every hour of the day our phones are buzzing with another breaking news. Fifty years ago, the mere thought of being instantly connected with the events of the world would have seemed like a God-given gift; It feels like a nightmare in 2017. I wake up anxious to find what happened overnight, what idiotic thing did the president say this time that inches us closer to a nuclear war with North Korea? Which celebrity is a sexual predator? In what city was there another shooting? What law is now being debated by Congress that could strip someone's fundamental human rights?
Overwhelming is an understatement.
You could think this is a very "snowflake" thing for me to say, but if you are not devastated by what is happening around the world, they may have gotten you already. Who are they? Well, they are the tragedies that have occurred in the last fifteen years. We have been conditioned to not feel as strongly about the disasters that have happened; the media will beat a story to death until something shinier and more tragic happens until hearing that another catastrophe, though still as painful- won't hurt as much anymore.
When was the last time you thought about the massacre in Texas, Las Vegas, Orlando, Boston, Sandy Hook, Aurora?
I can tell you exactly where I was when I heard the news, and I can pinpoint the moment where these devastations became America's new normal. The accessibility to these incidents has desensitized us.
With all the hate and the chaos around the world, taking a break from the news seems almost like a necessity for your mental well being. Go to the movies with your friends, hike, read a book, go to a concert, spend your weekend watching "New Girl." Whatever you do, just remember to take a break from the world every once in a while because the human mind is built to endure such tragedies- eventually, we will become indifferent to the things that should rile us up and have us marching the streets in protest. I know that I have felt especially detached in the past year, but I urge you to battle that sensation and instead, disconnect with the world when it all seems like its too much. Because the beauty of being human being lies in us feelings, being moved by things and change- things we cannot do if we live our lives numb.