America's Mental Health Day
I picked a helluva year to quit social media.
On New Year’s Day 2020, I set a mindful goal to perform less doom-scrolling, and instead invest my time in real-world relationships. I especially wanted to grow closer to my work friends, a tight team I looked forward to goofing around with everyday. So I nuked from orbit all of my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
Just one week later, my teammates were laid-off. Then before I could fully-mourn their absence, the entire human civilization was ushered into lockdown & social-distancing. I was not only trapped inside physically, but also socially due to my deleted virtual lifelines. Sure, I could have signed back up to social media — but seeing how 2020 turned out in retrospect, thank goodness I didn’t.*
As if that wasn’t bad enough, this coincided with a presidential election full of barbarism, gaslighting, and hostility towards fellow man — all of which was caused or exacerbated by President Trump.
One of the best things I read last year was Isabel Wilkerson’s iconic Caste, where she posits America faces a choice between white nationalism or democracy. The large percentage of Americans who voted to reelect Donald Trump show that many have chosen the former. Yet they were thankfully outnumbered.
Despite the country rejecting Trump at the ballot box, his daily assault on our psyche continued. Neighbors now proudly fly Trump flags, broadcasting their true colors. While I once engaged with them, trying to point out they’ve co-signed to some serious batshit, I am aware that facts don’t change minds. And now I’m just too tired to bother trying.
By all measures, America failed its coronavirus response. We’re awash in needless death and PTSD which will takes years to unwind. And thanks to the poor choices made by supposed adults in the room, the timeline for overcoming this may take years. Four years of never-ending attention residue have clouded my brain, and January 20th couldn’t get here fast enough.
The Fever Is Breaking
Our family is fortunate — my job transitioned successfully into remote work, and we possessed enough financial resources to outfit our kids for remote learning. We were spared the worst, but I’m angry. My wife & I are keen observers of the news, and we’re reminded every day it didn’t have to be this way. Our mental health is shot, our children are struggling with school, and our nation’s leaders collectively shrugged in response.
But this week, America was administered its Fleet enema, the start of clearing out years of constipated emotions.
Today I took PTO from work, so I could soak in all of the day’s spectacle and get some sort of emotional release. My healing actually started last night, with a long-overdue rememberance of those lost to the coronavirus epidemic.
Photo credit: Vogue
It was simple, sweet, and human-centered. After experiencing a years-long empathy deficit, seeing compassionate individuals express their sorrow was cathartic. I welled up while watching it, and my emotional release continued into this morning. Someone finally cares — even if the problem is still there, that is still important to know someone gives a shit about us.
As I publish, today’s ceremonies are behind us, and now the work begins afresh. President Biden’s words reveal a brand of optimism I’m glad is being emphasized, but which I’m too emotionally exhausted to yet emulate:
Hear one another. See one another. Show respect to one another. Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn't have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated, and even manufactured.
He was followed by poet Amanda Gorman, whose lyrical words helped boost my morale. To paraphrase her words, we are seeing light after four years of never-ending shade. The past we step into, and how we repair it, requires us to be benevolent and bold.
God bless our new President, and God bless us all.
Photo credit: Baltimore Sun
Fun Stuff
Besides worrying about America, I’m still reading tons of books, in addition to watching movies. Currently on my list:
Ready Player Two: the sequel to “Ready Player One”, a book I both loved and loathed. RP2 is mostly the same mix, but I’m sticking with it because of its rich detail about future technology & effects on mankind. I recommend listening to Wil Wheaton’s audiobook narration.
Ready Player One: to re-familiarize myself with the plot & characters ahead of reading “Ready Player Two”, I watched Steven Spielberg’s adaptation. It was fun, emphasizing the best parts of the book while leaving behind it’s tedious fandom obsessions.
Wandavision: it’s so refreshing to see something new from Marvel Studios. The production values here are strong, and the mystery is fun so far.
The Obstacle is the Way: Stoicism kept me sane these past few years, and this Ryan Holiday’s treatise is a simple, straightforward exploration of Stoic concepts.
Empowered: my 2020 goal is to consume more work-related knowledge, so I’m just starting with Marty Cagan’s latest product management opus
And last weekend, my daughter & I participated in the latest Splatoon 2 Splatfest. Splatfests are global PvP tournaments, where you fight for a particular side. This time around, it was Super Mario-themed, and our Team Mushroom prevailed over Team Super Star! If you’re a Splatoon 2 player and ever want to play online, send me an email.
Footnotes
* Observant ones may have noticed I actually did return to social media. My wife missed my Instagram posts of our kids & pets, so I signed back up. I only follow her, and in turn she’s my only follower.