A cartoon
A thought
Dear Friend,
I was stopped in my tracks by a note from
. In which he said“ if you choose to impale your spirit on the news each day…”.
Damn! That can be exactly how it feels. I read that quote moments after reading a note from a friend advising me to “Step away! Step away from the news!”
I find myself struggling with how much, what and when to consume the news. Gone are the simple days of the evening news and a Saturday paper.
We are now responsible for choosing what and how we consume and engage. It is dangerous territory when so much of it is designed to make us feel mad, bad or sad.
How do you manage the news?
I am continually experimenting but trying to be deliberate in every choice. I am following individuals rather than corporate media, reading broadly to balance frames of reference and keep a curious mind, and limiting it to small chunks of time in a week rather than the insidious drip feed of doom via social media.
What are your tips?
Glimmers and sparks*
My glimmers for today are:
Watching a mama wood duck and her babies.
Rejoicing in the not-too-hot, not-too-cold autumn weather.
Having
include my very new Substack on a list of Substack comics/cartoons: - Thank you Cara! It made my day :-)
Li’l bean is your reminder to pause and ask: What are your glimmers for today?
From your friend and your small, steadfast companion,
*Drawing Li’l Bean helped me navigate out of a period of depression in 2023. A good friend 13, 595km away, helped, too, through a ritual of swapping daily glimmers via text.
A glimmer is a tiny spark of hope, enthusiasm or joy that lifts your heart. By helping me find three glimmers each day, she gently helped me see the joy and beauty already around me.
I’d like to share this practice with you and invite you to reflect on your glimmers for the day when you read this. Think of Li’l Bean as a reminder to notice the glimmers and sparks in your life. We’d love it if you would like to share your glimmers in the comments.
Just recently, I was at a conference about climate change induced risk and one of the psychiatrist there said that you can actually traumatize yourself by continually watching the news… I still watch it too often, it’s all over my social media feed as well. So hard to manage that without feeling like you’re turning a blind eye isn’t it?
I stopped watching the news when my country invaded Iraq the first time. I noticed all it did was make me feel angry and hopeless about things I cannot control. I protested the second war, and again was affirmed that I am powerless. All I can do is influence myself and my immediate community. I cannot change how my government responds to local or national events.
During the pandemic, I tuned in enough to get a sense of what was initially unfolding. Then I watched the narrative turn, watched it get distorted and twisted, and checked out. That's when I largely bowed out of social media as well, because people lost their ability to think clearly and remember what was initially shared and still held true throughout the duration of that experience. They became hypnotized and hijacked by fear and talking heads with their own agendas. I hunkered down and took care of me and mine as best I could, then got out of there as soon as we were able.
So I do not bother with news. It is unabashedly toxic. The thing is, everyone around me is tapped in, sucking at the teat of drama and fear to feel alive. If any news is relevant and important, I will hear about it from them and can choose to engage if I feel it is relevant. This has been the only way to preserve any hope that humankind can be good because the news cycle has no interest in sharing that possibility with anyone.