Quitting the news

Part coping mechanism, part extreme self-care plan

Mhm

Hi there,

Ignorance is bliss; at the very least, it is an option.

Five things to share:

1. Trump getting elected was the best thing that happened to me: I quit the news. Four years later, COVID happened, toilet papers were sold out everywhere, and it got me thinking: What’s hoarding toilet papers got to do with a fatal flu virus outbreak? Good ol' media.

2. In We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo, ten-year-old Darling and her friends navigate their shantytown in Zimbabwe with the exuberance and mischievous spirit of children everywhere. But they are shadowed by memories of Before. Before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before schools closed, before their fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad.

   Want to be a better person, read great novels! I’m giving up the self-help genre for once and all.

3. I didn’t watch anything interesting, or anything at all, this week. But I did listen to a wonderful podcast episode by Freaknomics: Reasons to Be Cheerful. There is still plenty to be happy and cheerful about; it turns out the end of the world is slow and boring anyway. Pair it up with a chore and enjoy!

4. A quote I want to share with you:

   Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.
   — Maya Angelou

5. I quit the news inspired by Erik Hagerman, The Man Who Knew Too Little.

   Right after the election, Hagerman decided he would take a break from reading about the hoopla of politics; Donald Trump’s victory shook him. Badly. Hagerman developed his own eccentric experiment, one that was part silent protest, part coping mechanism, part extreme self-care plan.

That’s all for this week!

Thank you for reading, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.

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Until next time,

Mehret