A person that is a regular reader of my blog sent me an e-mail recently, and was quite morose, worn out and despondent. The list of things mentioned, well, it was long and had to do with watching and reading news, for some people its perhaps nearly non-stop, which obviously is about the state of the world, the environment, politics, racist garbage, the pandemic, the ugliness of the world, and how things seem rather hopeless. So, my message back to him, posted below (edited to protect his privacy, I don't betray the confidence of a friend) seems rather relevant and applicable to others, perhaps even most, or all of us.
You have to stop doing this to yourself. You need to break whatever daily cycle you're doing, that is encapsulating and imprisoning you in this despair. You are no longer inured to the news and your self defensive mechanisms have broken down, or at least worn out. We are inundated with news, most of it negative, but the world itself is not really "worse" than its ever been. Think of it like this, over the course of about 30 years, people in America lived through two World Wars, Stock Market Crash, Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl, and that was "average" white people. Black people also had the last vestiges of slavery, segregation, lynchings and mob beatings. Native Americans were equally fucked. Most people still used outhouses and didn't have electricity yet. Three decades of war, death, massacre, genocide, misery, evil, famine, disease (penicillin was not available yet, people got polio, tuberculosis, etc), struggles, poverty, and being homeless and unemployed. Go back in history from that era, and things were worse. Go to any 3rd world country right now, today, and things are worse. Most of the 3rd world is begging for Covid Vaccines, while the "West" argues about getting their third shot, or not getting one at all.
Obviously you know all the above, I'm just mentioning it for perspective. Yes, things are bad in the USA right now, and might get worse. But its still better than most people have it around the world, and far better than people had it over the last several hundred thousand to millions of years, depending on where you want to place "humans" on the evolutionary timetable. So all you can do is control how this bleak state of the planet and humanity affects you. Doing something to try to change it is one thing, the other is to...go outside. Turn off the computer and leave your cell off and (cheesy as it sounds) go look at a cloud or a tree, take a walk, play with a dog, get some exercise, watch a butterfly, do something where mother nature is affecting your soul in a positive manner, and the nastiness of human beings is not.
I agree with every single thing you outlined, but neither you or I are going to be able to rationalize it, justify it or change it. All I do is try to enlighten some people, make a few people laugh, make a few think, make someone smile, and hope that happy energy spreads out. Probably a futile hope and effort, but its all I can do...its all I can do to help others, and its all I can do to protect my own sanity and well being.
Spend more time thinking about your loved ones, family, lovers, sex, kink, future plans, fond memories, whatever...and spend less time thinking about the ugliness of the world. Seriously, one can develop an addiction to social media, news, TV and all the bad vibes that can come from it, and get drug into that morass (as opposed to "more ass") and it feeds itself, becoming a loop of bad, negative, mean, depressing, which sucks the life and energy out of us. Or, one can stay informed, be aware of current local and global events, and then turn off the "gadgets", go out in the world and try to do positive things to help those around us, however small those gestures or efforts might be. But no matter what, we have to protect our own souls, seek serenity, maintain sanity and guard our own health, which needs to include spiritual, mental and of course physical health. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to your friends. Friends take care of each other. Be your own best friend. :)
If anyone needs it: Good News Network.
Panty-"Hoes"? :)
Love this...timeless.
I really like what this guy did. It really looks great.
No idea what the hell's going on in the video below... :)
