I feel a sort of duty of staying informed about the suffering in the world. This includes current events like war crimes being commited today; as well as the history of oppression: colonialism, imperialism etc.
But it makes me feel bad, really depressed. I feel like I’m torturing myself. So I try to stay back, take care of my mental health.
But then I feel bad turning my eyes away from it. It’s like the passerbys looking away from a homeless person. Or the people, safe at home, not caring about the suffering of others because it’s far away and it doesn’t touch them personally.
I guess I’m not alone feeling this. How do you find a balance between taking care of yourself and not falling into apathy, insensitivity, or willful ignorance?
If it’s far away and their actions can’t prevent of change it then why do they need to know about it?
Have you seen CPG Grey’s Rules for rulers video (I think it’s titled “You would be a bad ruler” or something? It details how governments are themselves hemmed in by people who are their “keys to (getting and staying in) power” that agendas are set.
But also the idea of humanity as something other than a hive responding to ambient signals. I don’t know how true that is. Have you ever tried and failed to change some inevitability of the world? It doesn’t exactly fill you with hope and autonomy.
Stuff just literally happens beyond our control. Find the minimum awareness you need for the news (which its self can be full of half-truths and “maybe” facts) - and then focus your life on your life. Mental health included.
Once you see the details of how it all works you start to just be able to observe it. Hell there are Prime Ministers and Presidents who struggle to be able to effect changes they want. The hive, the pragmatics of power… I mean, shiiit at best these things are about reputation and culture and even that operates on scales beyond comprehension or control.
Bees in a hive, dancing to invisible signals and cues.