There’s so much doom on social media right now. The environment is collapsing. The economy will crash. Civil rights are ending. Democracy is dead.
What keeps you going? Why do you still get up and go do what needs to be done when the world seems to be ending around us?
I work in disability support. Some of the kids I am working with have gone over the last year from non speaking to using sign and are making real meaningful progress in their self care skills. They can keep going in the face of difficult times, so my problems don’t seem so hard.
Also, in Australia we have the NDIS, a system for funding disability supports in a socialised manner without restricting what options someone uses too much. While all governmental systems (or any systems with money) are susceptible to grift progress is being made on catching fraudsters and prosecuting them while also closing the loopholes they exploit. The NDIS will be around for a long time to come and will help Australians with disabilities determine their own futures and make them a reality. There are problems with it but honestly it has been a game changer and I think it is a model for the rest of the world to aspire to.
Look, If I’m going down, I’m going down kicking and screaming.
I don’t have any. I’m just taking care of my family until I run out of living relatives to give a shit about, then I’m out. Peace.
Gaming with the homies. I ought to be able to get a couple dogs one day. I’m getting better at cooking. I meet new and amazing people every now and then.
I do my best to steer the world in the direction I’d like to see it go, and I try take pride in the effort, not in the results. The destination might look dark now but you can still enjoy the journey. I hope that makes sense.
I deleted all my social media the day after the election, except for my lemmy account. Mostly because I forgot about it. Now I just read a few news headlines and solve a crossword every day. And WHOA - talk about having bountiful free time now. It’s kinda scary.
Am I less stressed? Meh, maybe a bit. But I’ve decided I’m going to find beauty and amusement in the utter self destruction we are about to witness. I’m going to stand over here and watch the fire while I drink my beer in peace.
TL;DR focus on the things you can control and do literally anything to try to improve things
The thing that causes trauma isn’t the bad event but the helplessness that accompanies it.
The main (and sometimes only) tactic that we are taught for dealing with problems is to find an intermediary who can do things on our behalf; seek the nearest authority who will take up your cause. Viewed that way, the fact that institutions and authorities are failing is disempowering; the problem is impossible because the schools/cops/companies/non-profits/politicians/media/etc aren’t helping. The only option that perspective leaves you is to take the blows and hope you’re strong enough to last until a better intermediary arrives. That shit will wear you down real fast.
We need to unlearn the dependence on intermediaries. We can’t stop the bad events from happening (and boy are they happening) but we can combat the helplessness. The antidote to helplessness is exercising agency and feeling control over our actions and their consequences. Find a way you can make things a little bit better and then show up and do it. Anything is fine, if there’s a cause you’re passionate about then do that, but if there’s not then pick something you’re kinda sort of good at. Write, draw, make phone calls, create memes, cook, drive, listen, etc. Any skill, no matter how small, can be leveraged to improve the world around you if you’re clever about it.
The fight is the point.
Taking action to control what you can is powerful. Maybe you’ll succeed and maybe you won’t but taking action is where you’ll find resilience. If what you do doesn’t work then learn from the experience and deepen your understanding. You’re not failing to solve the problem you are building up your capacity to tackle it and that shit takes time. Pursue this as vigorously and as passionately as you are able but also know that it’s okay to take breaks and step away sometimes.
Also, humans are social creatures so if what you do involves other people that’s even better.
What else are we supposed to do?
Edit: that’s a rhetorical question, don’t come at me enumerating the alternatives
I drink. I shouldn’t, but I do.
Honestly? I have no idea. Probably spite. Why should I kill myself? It’s the world that sucks.
Why not?
Jack Smith dropped the charges without prejudice so they can be re-filed the second he leaves office.
Dude won’t make it that far. Or much further than that.
Find a small corner of the world you can improve and focus on that. Can only effect what you can. Not worth worrying about the other stuff.
As hokey as it sounds 🤷♂️
That’s the most healthy way to have a positive impact on the world, imo. Thats what the human mind is best designed for.
My Factorio engineer can’t keep the thing going without me.
Most of the stuff you read doesn’t matter. What matters is how you treat people. Eat good food and smile, enjoy the rays of the sun which burn us all equally. Bask in a hot shower. Go outside, where you can’t see any other people for a few hours, and listen to the sounds.
There is this video that reminds me that there is no natural law that determines that things will only get better. Yet we have to find purpose. I am not hopeful, but I am happy for everyone that tries to do the right thing. We’re in this together even if everything goes to shit.
I am going to click this, but God dammit if this is Rick Astley
Edit: okay, thanks internet friend
My friends, family, drawing, having a nice home to live in, good food and fun stuff to do ❤️ I try and avoid negativity by searching for things I’m interested in to engage with, such as art, nature photography, cat photos, and videogames. Some websites let you tailor your feed to your liking!
