The Sky Isn’t Falling

In life, there are only a handful of things that truly matter. Family, friends, health, work, and hobbies, to name a few. Everything outside of that is a distraction.

Over the last 10 years, there has been a somewhat stark shift in the general media apparatus (news channels, social media, etc), where, due to the competition for views, only the extremes get noticed. This has led to every news story seeming like the sky is falling. Simultaneously, we’ve been fed this idea that we have to be informed, that it is our civic duty. We have to care about global politics, we have to know about the civil war going on in XYZ distant country, we have to know about the newest political controversy, and so on. It’s exhausting.

Now, I am not saying that these things are not important; what I am saying is that it doesn’t seem rational to have so much of your life spent on something that doesn’t do anything positive for you. News is meant to elicit a reaction, and more often than not, the reaction is designed to be negative. I think it’s important to fully understand the word “designed.” The media apparatus is designed to steal your attention. It is designed to keep you glued to the screen or TV so they can serve you ads and make billions of dollars. It is not meant to make you happy or informed, it’s meant to make them money.

Now, let’s be clear, I am not saying that you should go be a hermit who lives in some distant mountain cabin cut off from the rest of the world. What I am trying to say is that your life is being stolen from you under the guise of civic duty.

Not everyone needs an opinion on everything. It is okay to be uninformed. Focus on things that make you happy or positively add to your life. Spend time with people you care about and maximize the time you have in your life.