Being oblivious can be a good thing

seadoug said:
I posted a few days ago that we were in the Mediterranean for two weeks. I was forbidden by hubby to turn on the news and I was fine with that. It was probably the happiest two weeks I've had in at least a year. I knew when I returned to the States the same divisiveness and garbage would be going on but I didn't care. I actually returned with a more positive outlook. I'm definitely skimming over the news now.

The only thing I regretted was not knowing Diane Keaton passed away but it would have brought me down anyway. RIP to a wonderful actress.
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Good for you, Seadoug.

Social Media only works if you're engaged, and it's aim is to engage you 24/7. I'm often both amused and aghast at the topics people get worked out today. Rarely does any of it have any immediate impact in their every day lives, it's just stuff to get worked up about. Far too many get worked up about EVERYTHING.

But you hit on the solution. Go back 40 years and you have a world - the world we grew up in - without the Internet and it's various distractions. Guess what? We got along just fine. We didn't need dating apps on a portable computer (AKA: Phone). We didn't need news of crimes on the other side of the planet unless there was something extraordinary about it. We didn't need to be drenched in ads the whole time. And we did our own thinking without the need for algorithms working to keep us "engaged".

Oh, and we didn't need to know what our children and parents had for lunch, or what movie they'd just watched, or what they were wearing, etc.

You have rediscovered what life is truly about. Your immediate environment, the people in the same room, the weather outside your window.

🌈
 
Normally I don’t need to know the news because it isn't news. So much competition from everywhere to be the first to announce it as *news* by that time its too late for me to do anything anyway. Lol. I'll be oblivious.
 
Paco Dennis said:
We are all shaken by both the TV and Internet news. Then we have to do our own study to verify info. It is a complete mess, but, I have found that when I become emotionally LOST in the subject, is time to bail. My way seems to stay as aware as possible , stay calm. :)
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It's true you have to verify. However, from what I see, a lot of people are concerned about things that are nothing more than extremes to make people feel something. Sadness, anger (lots of anger), frustration, etc. All turned to 11. Meaning, not every story is worth verifying. In fact, not every story is even worth knowing. Yet many let these things into their world in a rabid patter of clicks.

So called "research" isn't as easy as one can imagine either. As soon as you hit a search engine, you're hitting a bias. You're never truly free from some governing body (algorythm) or other. Which is why it is trained to give you more of what you like, rather than more of what you need to know.
 
@seadoug …so happy you got a nice break. Several weeks ago we did the same thing…it was a reality check. Sometimes simply knowing the sun will rise tomorrow and birds will sing is enough. Once upon a time I was having a meltdown about the humans trashing earth thing and a friend gave me some great advice. He had me spread my arms as far apart as possible…then take my thumb and index finger and place them together on one hand. That was the time humans had been residing on earth. The earth will abide. I suspect strongly we have the same political views…but this too will pass. Live, love and laugh.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I hear ya but even when I’m surrounded by nature, I want to know if the stock market crashed, America has invaded Greenland, or China has attacked Taiwan, etc…

I’m ok with a bit of balance.
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I wasn't completely oblivious. I checked my investments every day and as long as the stock market hadn't crashed I figured nothing disastrous had happened. As we know, the market reacts to all kinds of bad news, not necessarily just financial. Adding a ballroom to the White House isn't going to impact it. ;)
 
I, too, try to strike a balance between avoiding the news and being aware of current events. I get my news online only, from news sites, not social media.

The thing that depresses me most are the comments on the articles. People get so nasty and vicious when they are sitting anonymously behind a keyboard. The constant personal attacks really bring me down, so I try to avoid those for the most part. The news itself can be upsetting enough.

Back when I was married, my ex used to watch "Pardon the Interruption," which is a sports program, not a news show, but the arguing and shouting used to stress me out so badly—it reminded me of my childhood—that I'd usually leave the room to get away from it.

IIRC, Pardon the Interruption has a more good-natured tone than other debate-style shows, but it still upset me.
 

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