Though we must maintain our sanity, we also need to be aware of the news
By SAGE KAMOCSAY— skamocsay@ucdavis.edu
The news is horrible. Everybody knows this — between bombing cities, the Epstein files, human rights violations in America and hundreds more pages of awful stories, keeping up to date with world events can be incredibly mentally taxing. For some, it’s easier to just check out entirely.
This phenomenon is a travesty. However difficult it may be, it is paramount to keep up to date with current events. If we fail to do so, we risk becoming uninformed, apathetic, naive and callous to the plights of people across the globe. We risk becoming merely cogs in the institutional machine — at least, more than we already are. We risk falling into the traps that have been set for us for decades, those that seek to strip us of our own humanity.
Without the news, we lose connection with our world. We slip away from the broader population and recede into ourselves. We stop understanding the struggles of those around us and become ignorant of the workings of the world. This makes us more susceptible to propaganda — if we have no knowledge of world events, lies sound like truths. Doublespeak loses half its meaning, and we begin to take claims made about controversial topics at face value.
In the era of the Internet, where misinformation is more common than ever, staying uninformed poses a greater threat than at any point in the past. We are constantly barraged with false information and fearmongering — it takes a trained eye to sort through the real and the fake. To prepare ourselves, we must keep up with the news. We must understand what is actually real, regardless of what political leaders and entertainment companies may proclaim. Without knowing what is actually happening in the world, truth is like sand in a desert — shifting as it falls through your fingers, and quickly lost as it falls onto the dunes.
Without the news, we become uncaring and complacent. Power-hungry billionaires and politicians are free to control our lives if we stop fighting to change them. We become like peasants in a feudal society — unaware of any freedoms we are owed, unknowing of the world beyond our fief. We become powerless to stop those in power from infringing on our rights.
Additionally, we lose our ability to understand the suffering of those in different countries and classes. Their livelihoods are constantly being attacked, and they rely on power in numbers to protect themselves. If we are not empathetic to the urgency of their strife, we become bystanders in their fight for respect, dignity and human rights.
Of course, dear reader, you should not sacrifice your mental health for the purposes of staying informed. Without the energy and mental resources needed to fight for your rights, you risk falling into the same pattern as you would if you did not read the news at all. Apathy and jadedness due to burnout help those in power just as much as if one does not understand the system at all. One way or another, we lie down on our backs, show our bellies and let politicians continue to take away our basic rights. As with all things, there is a balance that must be sought. Prioritize your health, but do not forget the needs of others by losing touch with the world around you. To continue to stand up to those who wish to oppress us, we must remain strong.
While you should remain in touch with news of sometimes incredibly depressing events, there are other ways to keep yourself healthy and sane. Practice self-care, take breaks for yourself and relax. Read positive news too. Remember that all is not lost. In order to protect yourself, you must be strong and hopeful — without hope, the fight won’t matter to you anyway. You won’t participate; you will be one more person lost to the tricks of the powerful.
In the words of Audre Lorde, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Your wellbeing is important: radically so. Yet, do not let your mental health become an excuse to tap out. Our preservation of ourselves is but a tool to achieve our political liberation.
Written by: Sage Kamocsay— skamocsay@ucdavis.edu
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.
