Take a break. It's all niche media. Gratitude has impact. Truth & Love. Giving feelings their due. Happiness increases over time. Resisting the crazies.
Be a good steward of your gifts. Protect your time. Feed your inner life. Avoid too much noise. Read good books, have good sentences in your ears. Be by yourself as often as you can. Walk. Take the phone off the hook. Work regular hours.
– Jane Kenyon
1. “We don’t just need a break right now, we need a break habit.”
The Breaks – Rob Walker – (The Art of Noticing)
Considering recent events, there have been many recommendations that we all take a moment, take a breath, take a break. This is more than that. This is about creating a break habit.
This practice is not about escapism. In fact, it’s the opposite: It’s about taking breaks to connect with the real world — the only one we have.
As we do whatever it is we need to do for our mental health and sanity right now, perhaps it’s an opportunity to build a habit, and along with it, some grounded resiliency.
Do this: Take a break.
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2. “What stories can we tell now? And where do we write them?”
All media is niche media now – Lyz – (Men Yell At Me newsletter)
I think one of the most important “lessons learned” from the events of the last few weeks is how much the media landscape has changed. We already kinda/sorta had an inkling that things were different, but it’s suddenly become quite concrete. So called “mainstream media” is, for better or worse, become less relevant than ever. Smaller players, less aligned players, individuals and organizations that in prior years would never have had a platform, do. And some of them to great effect — again, for better or worse.
A solution?
… rather than marinating in the Elon Muskian media stew of hate-takes, I think we should all subscribe to and share the fuck out of the things we love and want to see more of in the world.
Be the change you want to see in the world. Subscribe to the change you want to see in the world. Share the change you want to see in the world.
Do this: Choose, and share, your sources.
#media #social-media #newsletters
3. “I posted 200 words of gratitude”
Be the Light. Be the Way. Be the Example. Here’s What That Looks Like – Julia Hubbel – (Too Old for this Sh*t)
The takeaway is actually from Erin Miller, quoted by Hubbel. The story is that rather than sinking into a morass of negativity, joining many others in the venue where she was posting, she tried something different. She posted words of gratitude.
And magic happened: people came out of the woodwork to join me. This approach created space for others who’d been feeling defeated or disenfranchised to join the conversation.
I know it’s hard right now, but this is great advice at any time. Particularly in times of (high) stress, it helps people to be reminded that there remains positivity worth celebrating.
Do this: Share the good.
4. “The only way out is to tell the truth”
The Personal Nature of Belief and Coming Out Atheist – Courtney Heard – (Godless Mom)
The only thing worse than following the wrong religion is following no religion at all. At least that’s what it seems like in today’s society, particularly as we embark down a Christofascist path here in the United States.
The personal nature of belief gets tossed out the window the moment it doesn’t align with the majority.
It’s sad that a society built on acceptance is backsliding. While it’s not really new, this seems one of the leading indicators.
Do this: Love one another. I don’t believe there were any qualifiers on that.
#atheism #religion #christofascism
5. “When every feeling becomes a guiding star, resilience takes a back seat.”
How to Destroy a Generation – Joan Westenberg – (@Westenberg)
There’s been plenty said about the impact of “participation trophy” thinking, much of it not great. While not mentioning that trope explicitly, Westenberg takes aim at those who’ve had their feelings prioritized over reality. The result, she says, is a generation easily manipulated by those who understand the game.
Want to destroy a generation? Here’s the blueprint: elevate feelings above logic, above resilience, above the uncomfortable truth that the world doesn’t owe anyone validation. Make them so invested in their emotions that they can’t bear to be challenged, and then pull the strings.
There’s been a lot of string pulling of late.
Do this: Build resilience.
6. “People typically grow happier with age”
The Secret to Thinking Your Way Out of Anxiety (gift link) – Arthur C. Brooks – (The Atlantic)
Can confirm. But before you jump all over me, I’ll also readily confirm that “typically” doesn’t mean everyone (we all know at least one perpetually grumpy older individual). In addition, just because one might grow happier with age doesn’t mean that unhappiness has been completely banished. Just look at the last few weeks and ask me about my anxiety.
… older people have learned through experience that, for the most part, their worst fears didn’t come true and things turned out all right
Again: “for the most part”. Life offers no absolutes. But it’s something that I try very hard to remember. The catastrophes we often imagine rarely come to pass, or rarely meet the level of “catastrophe”. Shit happens, to be sure, just not as often as we worry about.
Do this: It’s difficult in the heat of the moment, but do your best to maintain perspective.
7. “Don’t let the crazies make you crazy.”
This Is The Most Important Thing For These Crazy Times – Ryan Holiday – (blog)
Holiday is known for promoting stoic wisdom, sometimes to the extreme. The wisdom works, but the approach can feel a tad extreme. This essay starts out with that feeling, but then sticks the landing by presenting the concepts in terms that apply right here and right now, no old dead philosophers required.
Lincoln had to strike a very similar balance: He knew that slavery was wrong. He knew that a good chunk of people were hell-bent on destroying the country. He also understood that he could not afford anything other than calmness, foresight, clarity. He could not lose his humanity. He could not lose his mind.
The challenge is simple: keep your humanity in the face of everything you see happening around you. It’s only then, really, that you stand a chance of having an impact.
… this isn’t to say you’re indifferent to injustice–it’s that you can’t let it break you, you can’t let it make you despair, you can’t let it distract you from your own work for justice.
Easy? No. Holiday admits “it might be the hardest thing you’ll ever do.”
But it’s worth doing. It’s the one thing in your control.
Do this: Hold on to your humanity.
Random links
- Looking back at Heinlein’s Future History – coming true before our eyes. – By David Brin. Well worth the read.
- Let Your Kids Limit Themselves – Written by the kid, not the parent.
What I’m reading
In progress:
- Meditations for Mortals – Oliver Burkeman
- The Morning Fox: Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope – John P. Weiss
- 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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