Where I live, the neighbors and
the local news are rife with daily reports of break-ins, car “smash-and-grabs," phone and laptop thefts.
WATCH OUT! 😦
Speaking of phones and laptops,
the local news and video sharing sites are full of warnings about how hackers
have gotten into them, stolen our data, and are running wild with our accounts.
WATCH OUT! 😧
And while we have hackers taking
space on our frontal lobes, apparently our government is not immune to them. Our
electric grids, defense apparatus and voting rolls, not to speak of the social security
numbers of all of us, have been infiltrated by hostile entities.
WATCH OUT! 😨
As if this isn’t enough and you
may be thinking that you can always leave your country for a better protected
one, from all directions the media is blasting that our whole planet is close
to dying because we will toast on account of Global Warming, something we are
told is happening ever faster than anyone predicted.
WATCH OUT! 😱
Wait a minute--- I have a better
suggestion. Stop watching. At least pull the plug on media that is
dependent on us staying plugged in and is counting on the fear factor to keep us
there.
This isn’t a call to put one’s head
in the sand. I sure don’t. But I suggest that taking breaks from being plugged
in is a cure that most are long overdue.
I take regular
internet/computer/phone breaks. Not long ones, just enough to look around, appreciate
my reality and good fortune of being alive, and restore healthy breathing.
I come up for air now and then. It
makes a better and even more alert me, more able to cope with all the above.
6 comments:
Your reality can really get skewed if you don't step away for awhile. I remember during Covid when the media onslaught was especially intense that going outside in my backyard and looking at the beauty of nature--and remembering that there is still goodness and beauty--was so calming.
Great idea. I unplug an hour or more before bedtime to wind down, meditate, listen to relaxing music, etc.
If there is something vital I need to know in the news, my husband shares it. He reads several international papers online daily and watchez the news on TV, but I don’t. Just trying to stay sane without sticking mt head in the sand.
Good advice. It can all get pretty overwhelming if you don't keep some kind of restraint on how much time you spend absorbing all the negative stuff.
So true, Mirka. We're not big on watching TV--we stick to our movie nights :) I'm lucky that my husband alerts me to important news. I do read some news articles but roll my eyes at the fear mongering. I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. He's where my peace lies.
A while back I'd read Cal Newport's book on Digital Minimalism and it was so good. One really has to do a cost/benefit analysis. For instance, I've recently joined FB and I'm enjoying reconnecting with distant family and friends. Plus, it's a place to post a link to my blog. And share cute cat videos :)
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