Published on 12, July, 2020
Since the Palestine/Israel conflict began, I've stopped reading the news (I don't watch TV or listen to the radio, anyway).
This is to protect my mental health as my responses to the various conflicts in the world tend to either be anger or distress.
I've never done this before but for several decades of my life news wasn't so readily available.
The internet changed all that.
I don't know how long I will be able to isolate myself in this way, but I had become rather addicted to the BBC news website, constantly updating it to see the latest.
Does this resonate with anyone?
Watching current affairs is like watching a lit fuse burn. Listening to current affairs, is likewise.
Notwithstanding this opinion, I do still keep watch on the world, lament. but also try to do whatever small things I can to keep us all, as one, for as long as possible and to the extent possible.
Caveat Emptor advisable with your news sources.
We need to keep trying to be sane and reasonable. We NEED to watch ourselves and our current affairs - in more ways that one.
A sorrowful but realistic Number (steps down and packs up the soap box, till the next time.)
Number said:We NEED to watch ourselves and our current affairs
I don't think we 'need' to (watch ... current affairs) - we choose to - and I've chosen not to, and feel much better for it.
Although of course, I wasn't 'watching', but reading, anyway .....
I like to think of the news as "The Story of Us". It's like reading and living in a book for me. When I was small I didn't know that superman (1958 tv serial) and the Vietnam war news were different worlds. I watch it like a story that will always be developing as lo g as there are humans and a world they live on.
Number said:but if everyone does that, then only the leaders and decision makers will ever set our direction? And in democracies, how we will know who we want those leaders to be if we don't hear or watch what they are saying or doing AND have some clue about the challenges that they face?
In my 2nd comment, I explained how involved I'd always been.
You are working on my guilt complex N but I know it's with kindness.
I've given over 4 decades of my life to this sometimes active involvement, so I'm going to give myself some time away, maybe the rest of my life, nevertheless.
I suspect that not autistic people who are less sensitive are more happy to be involved (obviously the politicians too) so things will keep ticking over without those of us who step out of the ring.
We collectively need to watch out ! That is one of the "more ways than one" that I referred to above.
We need to watch out that we don't all collectively slide into tribal hatred and/or "blissful" ignorance of the challenges and issues that we collectively face?
I do understand why people have given up hearing or watching about world affairs - home affairs - current affairs - the affairs of us, the humans......but if everyone does that, then only the leaders and decision makers will ever set our direction? And in democracies, how we will know who we want those leaders to be if we don't hear or watch what they are saying or doing AND have some clue about the challenges that they face?
These are just the thoughts and ramblings of a single digit number.....there are now, I believe, approximately, 8,100,000,000 other humans knocking around at the moment. I like to have half an idea about what they are being "fed" in terms of their news - if nothing else.
Anyhow, these are just my thoughts and opinions on this matter, and I appreciate that they are vanishingly insignificant and irrelevant to the world.