Ridiculous Opinions #207
I’m having a mental debate right now. I’ve had this debate for a few years, but it’s come to the forefront of my mind in the last couple of weeks. Basically, I’m debating whether or not to shut myself off from the news entirely. It’s sacrilege, really, for me to do such a thing…to remain ignorant of world events…but after consuming news voraciously for the past fifty years, if there’s one big thing that I’ve discovered, it’s that nothing really ever changes. The news is the same old crap that it’s always been.
My first mental question is: What would I miss?
Would I miss the next year of Donald Trump news? Yes. That’s a bonus! Would I not have to hear about the incredibly regressive Republican party and their antics? Yes! These people are idiots and I don’t need to hear anything about their desire to thwart any social progress that has been made over the last 100 years. That, too, is a bonus! Would I not have to hear about tragedy after tragedy in the world? Yes. I have become numb to the horrors of the world. I need to recharge and gain my empathy back. No more horrors of climate change? Yes. If I hear more made-up terms like, “Heat Dome” and “Bomb Cyclone”, I will be happy as a clam.
And quite frankly, I don’t know what news I actually want to hear. I am no longer interested in entertainment news. I’m done with the Marvel Universe. No new Star Wars films are going to be made that I will like. And the Hollywood strikes are effectively going to cancel entertainment for the next year (if not longer). Do I need tech news? Nope! AI is a bust. It’s not going to kill us. It’s not going to take over everything. It’s just another tool. There isn’t going to be an iPhone that wows me any longer. My four year old phone works just fine. My iPad is spectacular and my computer is top of the line. I don’t need anything else.
And social media? Lo and behold, that’s the biggest dead end there is.
Quite frankly, there’s nothing new under the sun, so why should I continue to read this tripe? I should simply cut myself off.
But how does one do such a thing? I am surrounded by the internet. I am surrounded by things that demand my attention. I post my Maurice comics on seven different platforms. My phone dings at me constantly. Podcasts constantly call my name. My attention span is but a shell of what it once was.
I don’t know the answer to this, but I’d like to try.
The other night, I sat out by the pool behind our condo and for thirty minutes, I watched lightning dance through the clouds in the distance. It was glorious. It was quiet outside, save for the sound of the rumble of thunder, far off in the distance. It was then that I realized that I was burned out on the world. Movies and television shows don’t really move me any more. I’ve listened to all the music I’ve ever wanted to listen to. I know too much about the world.
But I sat out there and enjoyed the glory of that lightning storm. It was so simple. Just the sound of nature and the spectacular dance of lightning across the sky. And I thought, Maybe this is what it’s all about…
So, perhaps a break is what I need. I’ll still post Maurice comics. I’ll still write this newsletter. But I might cut myself off from this constant glut of information that runs through my head.
Perhaps I’ll just make some art. I’ll learn to paint. I’ll make some short films. I’ll write something. I’ll do some yoga. Perhaps I’ll learn what it is like to hear nothing in my head but my own voice. I’ll learn to be bored.
It sounds glorious, doesn’t it?
