Hey, Reader

I wanted to share an article I wrote in an old newsletter I thought would be helpful to this audience.

Let me know if this kind of content resonates with you.

Let me ask you a question. When you watch the cable news, read news websites, or scroll social media and you hear about all the bad news going on in the world what do you think?

Is the world actually as bad as it seems online? Is it worse?

I’m not sure about the answer. The world is probably worse than it seems on the news and social media. But, it doesn’t matter how good or bad it really is. Because I can only affect a small percentage of it. Constantly knowing about global crises doesn’t empower us—it often paralyzes us. And that’s the trap of social media. Knowing what’s going on in the world without the ability to change it is a recipe for a mental health disaster.

Stepping away from social media for the last 20 days has narrowed my focus to a smaller, more manageable slice of the world. My awareness extends only as far as my current relationships and responsibilities. I get to decide how much awareness I have of trending issues and the world’s problems.

I’ve been reflecting on the problem of agency for some time now. We are finite beings. We are much less powerful than we think. We fool ourselves into thinking we have the power to change the world. Does that mean we’re hopeless to make any difference? No. We can certainly make a difference. But social media and the news give awareness of more problems and issues than we could ever solve in a dozen lifetimes.

This information overload is a distinctly modern problem. Only in modern times have we been drowning in information about the world’s problems. Before modern times, you were concerned with the happenings of your local village, city, or maybe your region. You were concerned with the lives of people you actually knew. Perhaps you occasionally heard news of things happening in a non-local context or on a national level but today you can’t avoid hearing about all kinds of problems in places you’ve never been and with people you’ll never meet. Not knowing what’s going on allows me to focus on the small part of the world I can actually influence or improve. We were never meant to have an awareness that exceeds our capacity to make a difference.

I’ve often been reminded of the idea that ignorance is bliss. In a way, it’s true. Omniscience without omnipotence is a curse. Knowing the problems without the agency to solve them or even affect them is a recipe for overwhelm.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed thinking about the state of the world today consider stepping away from the news or from social media. Consider a detox from digital media. Here are a few things I’ve found in the last 24 days that previously might have been excuses I would use to remain tied to media.

• If it’s truly important, you’ll hear about it.
• Being the most up-to-date and informed person if your friend group isn’t the flex you think it is.
• Focusing on the people and places you can influence increases your sense of agency and control.
• Trying to keep up with “Breaking News” is like chasing the wind. The news changes hourly. The important stuff will still be relevant weeks or months later. Everything else is meaningless.
• Being the first to watch that trending video isn’t adding any value to your life.

Listen, I’m not advocating that we should be unaware or that there’s no value in being up on current events. I’m arguing that our definition of “awareness” has shifted dramatically in the last two decades. The world was working just fine before trending videos and the 24-hour news cycle.

Take a long walk and put that saved energy and attention toward the little part of the world you can actually influence. Who knows what problems you might be able to solve?

Remember, omniscience without omnipotence is a curse.

That’s it for this week! Stay tuned for more insights from my digital detox journey next week.

Keep the faith,

Craig