Ready, Fight! Try not to freak out. Does politics improve the world? The other guys are getting fooled. Be careful what you measure. Rage as an attempt to feel. The internet takes (your) work.
This, too, shall pass
– Persian adage
This is the last issue of 7 Takeaways before the November 5 election in the United States. I know that a lot of takeaways in recent weeks have centered on the divisions most exemplified by that election, mostly because these are the issues that occupy my attention. I’m hopeful, though not completely convinced, that once it has passed, I’ll feel more like spending time with less divisive, and less depressing, topics. Time will tell. I’m hoping the anxiety level will drop.
1. “Politics is a bloodsport, not a religion.”
The Death of Solidarity – Tome Greene – (Wit & Wisdom)
It’s not news that we’ve become a deeply divided nation.
Social media becomes a platform for collective pearl-clutching as total strangers hurl pithy insults at each other like a room full of fourth graders jacked up on fruit punch and cake.
Greene posits one cause is a lack of a common moral foundation.
They knew that a society bereft of a moral foundation would lead to the death of American solidarity.
While not mentioning religion specifically (it’s certainly not the sole source of morality, after all), the implication is that the decline in religious adherence is, in part, to blame.
Do this: Think about your own moral foundation, where it originates, and under whose control it is.
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2. “Holding a space for sanity … is itself a useful contribution to keeping the planet on an even keel.”
How not to freak out about the US election – Oliver Berkeman – (The Imperfectionist)
It’s hard not to. Honestly, we’re so divided, and looking at such a close race, I expect both sides are freaking out right about now.
Ultimately, the advice is to focus on the here-and-now, and what’s in your control.
Depending on your situation, that might involve voting, canvassing, donating, or possibly much more. Or it might involve the underrated activity of not necessarily doing anything overtly political at all, but of more devotedly embodying, in your everyday actions, the kind of world you take yourself to be fighting for.
In no way do I claim any of this is easy. And I’ll admit it’s not for everyone. But I appreciate that the last half of that quote really boils down to “be the change you want to see in the world”. That’s something to embrace, regardless of the surrounding turmoil.
Do this: Be the change.
3. “Politics seems to impede the ability of good ideas to spread.”
Sloth was not the right answer – (Dynomight)
The story about choosing sloths ends up being a metaphor for some thoughts on politics. I nodded in agreement with several observations.
The way we spend our energy on politics is poorly optimized for improving the world and well-optimized for sucking up all our time and making us miserable.
Ain’t that the truth?
Unfortunately, about halfway through, “hidden below an engagement-destroying story about sloths” he shares his thoughts on some of the specific issues we might care about and which side the current situation favors. Back to making us miserable, I guess. Stay for the observations on politics, but you can happily skip his “best guess of the main factors influencing the US 2024 presidential election”.
Do this: Think hard about how you engage in politics, and whether it’s really improving the world, or just making you miserable.
4. “False hope delivers a benefit in the moment”
“Won’t get fooled again” – Seth Godin – (Blog)
The post is ostensibly about business and promises made. I believe it has much larger applicability, especially now.
Vaporware, false deadlines, fake budgets, unrealistic promises and straight out con jobs persist because at some level, we demand them. Divisive arguments, mob enthusiasm and simple lies work surprising well.
Sound familiar?
I believe it is likely that everyone would agree, and that everyone on both sides would agree that the other side is being fooled. Again.
Do this: Learn from having been fooled in the past.
5. “Do metrics lead to misery?”
The “Number Go Up” syndrome – Khe Hy – (Rad Reads)
This short essay takes a unique perspective: why do we always want the numbers to go up? Age? Wealth?
success is often defined exclusively by growth and improvement.
As the takeaway above implies, not only is expecting “up” to be the only successful direction, sometimes it’s worth questioning whether the metric has any practical meaning at all. Even if it does in the long term, focussing on it in the short term isn’t always the answer. Particularly for things that don’t truly matter, or for things out of our control, sometimes the result is that we make ourselves miserable.
Do this: Choose carefully what to pay attention to.
6. “Try to feel anything at all”
Meditations for Mortals – Oliver Burkeman – (ebook)
I’ve just started this book. Burkeman is the author of the very popular “4000 weeks, Time Management for Mortals”. Meditations continues the theme of realizing that life is short, and we all too often spend our energies on things that ultimately don’t matter.
The increasingly rage-filled and conspiratorial character of modern political life might even be seen as a desperate attempt, by people starved of resonance, to try to feel anything at all.
That quote from the introduction struck a chord because of its applicability to current times. Certainly people are bonding over rage and conspiracy, perhaps giving their lives a sense of meaning they were lacking otherwise.
Do this: Watch where you spend your energies.
7. “Remember when the internet felt infinite?”
The Internet is Shrinking – Joan Westenberg – (@Westenberg)
It’s shrinking into walled gardens.
These walled gardens have become destinations where users find comfort, convenience, and familiarity, but at a massive cost – the broader web’s diversity and openness.
For some people, their entire online experience is provided by, and thus controlled by, Meta, Google, TikTok, Amazon, and Microsoft. Apparently those five account for 43% of all web traffic. Compare that to 17% 10 years ago.
The problem is breaking out of these gardens takes work. They’re popular for a reason, and the cost of leaving is high. It’s much easier to simply roll along with what the gardeners are providing.
Do this: Spend some time breaking the wall: sign up for newsletters to get information, visit other communities to connect with others, and more. Spend some time exploring. The internet has so much more than these 5 offer.
Random links
- Why You Might Need an Adventure
- How do you feel about Tiktok filters? Do they impact your body image? – If you’ve ever wondered what folks are talking about when it comes to “filters” on social media, this is a great demonstration. You can see that filters might have a negative impact on self-esteem. Presenter is a PhD in psychology who researches body dysmorphia.
What I’m reading
In progress:
- Meditations for Mortals – Oliver Burkeman
- The Morning Fox: Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope – John P. Weiss
- How to Read a Book – Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren
- Where Good Ideas Come From – Steven Johnson (re-read)
- The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century – Steven Pinker (audio)
Daily:
- A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World’s Sacred Texts – Leo Tolstoy
A full list of my common sources is on the sources page, and I list the books I’ve read on my Reading List page.
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-Leo
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The Internet is Shrinking – Joan Westenberg
Sobering reading