A cartoon
A thought
Following on from our musings about the News last week. I caught a Sarah Wilson podcast with Helen Lewis and her
Substack post where she bravely wades into the woke division, TERF tensions and binary thinking. While I appreciated the thoughtful deconstruction and sensible take, the whole thing just made me feel tired, and as Sarah says, “it is boring”.Her post and our discussions here made me think about who benefits from the news cycle, both in legacy media and social media. It sure as heck isn’t you or I.
My friend at
said”“We are not built to take on the trauma and outrage of an entire global community upon ourselves. But that is what a 24 hour, global news cycle is effectively expecting of us…
I think people are exhausted and worn out. They go through the same struggles day in and day out for years with no apparent end in sight… When you can get yourself riled up and energized, even though it’s through outrage, it does make you feel more alive. But we are not provoked to anger in a way that enables us to take effective action. We are provoked to anger in a way that gets us to generate ad revenue and fill the pockets of large companies and shareholders. It is unequivocally toxic.”
I am starting to see the news cycle and binary divisions stoked by others for what it is - bread and circuses, the modern global Colosseum. A terrifyingly effective weapon of mass distraction and division. We are being asked to choose sides, pick teams and rage at each other while governments and corporations do whatever they like without the accountability of our attention. As bad news sells, we are inundated with the worst stories from across the globe at the expense of local stories that will have a real impact on our lives.
Until recently, I have felt that if I was not across the detail of the news I was failing in my moral duty. I am coming to see that in fact, I am failing in my moral duty if I allow myself to be distracted and divided to an extent that means I don’t take any concrete real-world action.
My challenge to us all is, let’s walk away. Let’s reject the labels. Let’s reconnect with some real humans and take some in-real-life action for something we care about in our small sphere, our local community. I’ll be honest with you - that is a challenge for me, I have been so caught in parenting, running a business and farm that nearly all sorts of local action have been firmly off my list. It is time to change that - you can all keep me accountable, I’m off to find somewhere to contribute IRL, I will let you know how I go.
Also, I feel like this cartoon is probably utterly unoriginal, having been drawn in various forms all across the ages. How fascinating that we are so predictable and so slow to learn.
Glimmers and sparks*
My glimmers for today are:
Lots of autumn rain kicking off pre-winter pasture growth, especially in our kangaroo grass pasture.
Time for a quiet coffee and trip to the bookstore with my partner - no children in tow!
Taking an afternoon walk and nap in the little patch of bush near our dam. Our geriatric Mareema, Fluffy, follows me around, keeping an eye on me. She joined me for the nap, holding my hand!
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.
Gillian,
Your note is a glimmer of hope ... perhaps you've made your contribution in just sharing from your heart to your audience.
As Paolo encourages, "Keep sparkling", keep loving your partner and kiddies and all your interact with today.
Thank you for the gentle wake-up call.
Grace and peace x
I love this illustration and these musings - both great reminders to not allow ourselves to be sucked into the vortex of manufactured distraction!