It’s a good week to be in Canada, and an even better week to be Canadian, they’re just loving themselves sick right now at the Olympics. But it hasn’t been a week of uplifting news in Australia. And I’m not sure if our stone age brains are capable of the collective sorrow and anger that comes on mass. It seems that so many of us take it all on board and begin to carry the burdens of the world. Shared and over-shared, raged and outraged. I understand that it’s important to share and therapeutic to write, but I’m not sure how therapeutic it is to read stories of pain again and again. We’ve all experienced the verbal dump, been the confidant, the friend with the generous ear. There’s a reason therapists seek therapy.
I took myself offline yesterday. G looked over at me in the morning “what’s wrong?” he was alarmed by the look on my face. The answer was I couldn’t read one more story of pain and sorrow, or more to the point, one more opinion piece of someone else’s pain and sorrow. Remember when you read a newspaper with a tragic headline followed by an impartial news report, the facts were told, and you were left to get on with the day to process the news?
I have friends who refuse to watch or read depressing movies or books, believing that they will experience their own moments of great pain without having to indulge in the pain of others. “Why would I put myself through it unnecessarily”. My mother’s the same, as she’s become older she’s insisted that life can be depressing enough without the help of a heavy book. “I want to read something light, something funny and uplifting”.
I know there are many clever ones out there, those of you who don’t get the alerts, who log in once a week, catch up and walk away. I need to be more like that. Take the apps off of my phone (again). Set a timer so I don’t accidentally trip like Alice into a rabbit hole of spiraling links, gifs and memes. I need to remember that the internet requires the same careful choices as the television set. I don’t watch reality tv or celebrity dribble, so why would I bother with a newspaper or website which broadcasts in the same fashion? My new mantra is to stick to the informative, the entertaining, the thoughtful. Stay away from the opinionated drivel.
In the words of Stephen Fry. “It’s not called social change or heavy debate, it’s called Twitter.”
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I hear you. Incredibly sad but I dont need everyone’s opinion about who is to blame, or worse who is saddest.
Oh yes, sad enough without the conjecture and one upmanship of the best way to be sad.
There must be something in the wind. I’ve just done what you’re about to do. Deleted several LIKES from my feeder on FB, and UNsubscribed to a few more websites.
The trolling is haunting – I posted one comment on a CNN newsfeed (my first mistake) and one person targeted me …… then requested me to friend them! Why????????????
We’re not all like the Brady Bunch (does that age me?), or the Cosbys, and life can be challenging, but I’m beginning to understand why your mum, and mine, and many others choose to live life lighter in terms of news, movies, books etc.
That’s why I love your blog so much, and Mrs Woog and others 🙂 You convey so many emotions, and share from the heart. Your audiences do the same. It’s a great place to hang out.
It’s a good place to hang out because people like you are here. xx
One day our paths will cross xo
I regularly do a month disconnect from Facebook. It helps. I don’t do twitter, and I only read th. Papers..don’t watch the news. It helps.
I took it off of my phone which was great as I left the house and literally left it behind at my desk. I’m doing it again now.
Twitter 2011, they were the golden days. Twitter in 2014 requires armour for the heart.
I agree, it used to be so much fun. I’m going to head back though, full of frivolous, meaningless wah. Come join me 🙂
Now I feel bad about being Canadian and being so incredibly happy and proud. I feel I should apologize but that would be so stereotypical. I do hope you will be your happy and positive self once again soon. Hug the kids, that helps. BTW a big Hi 5 to Henry Hotdog who is Canadian.
I read and watch a lot of news but one thing I don’t have is alerts on my phone. It has to be the right time for me to take in most of the information out there, and it has to be me deciding on that time.
Very clever. Much better for you to decide than the constant visual interruptions.
I’m so sorry. And I completely understand what you mean. I take myself off the grid all the time. In fact tonight, I was actually so stressed out from feeling like I haven’t been allowed to turn my brain off for awhile that I was longing for our vacation time in Mexico where the internet connection was horrible and I couldn’t do anything. Well, that and it was awesome…