I’m exhausted. I’m tired. I’m mentally sucked dry.
I’ve had my two teenage kids home doing remote learning for 10 months.
My oldest has had ongoing medical problems for months.
Keeping our businesses thriving is a daily Olympic event.
Trying to avoid the visceral hate on social when it’s part of my job is daunting.
Not sure who needs to hear this today but you’re not alone if you’re feeling like me. The hits just keep on coming. It keeps getting harder and harder to stay positive. 10 months ago, I enjoyed blissful ignorance of the ways of big government, big business, big pharma, big media and big tech. Now that my eyes are open, I feel like I’ve been thrust into a game I never liked and never wanted to play.
I’m done being used by these people whose intentions are not pure and never were. I was so fed up I actually changed my party affiliation to “Independent”. I will not be a pawn in their game any longer. No one owns me, my thoughts or my vote. I don’t want anything to do with the two party system (who are in cahoots with the others I named above) in the United States. They are all on the same team and it’s the non elected people of this country vs all of them. It is the one thing that has become abundantly clear to me in the last 10 months.
It IS all a game to divide and conquer us, and we’re letting them win. We’re allowed to disagree without hate. We’re allowed to disagree without name calling. We’re allowed to see nuance, and to say we don’t agree on every single action of one group or one person without being demonized for it. We can exist in a world where we have empathy for another’s pain without playing the contest of, “Who has dealt with the most human suffering?”
We’ve all had far too much time on our hands to sit around at home arguing and “debating” something we’re just spectators in. They’re using us and many are allowing it to continue. How convenient that this comes at a time when face-to-face gatherings are not encouraged?
FACTS: When I’m around real, live people IN PERSON my experiences are anything but hateful and nothing like I experience in the world of social. They’re filled with engaging conversations (on things besides politics and the Coronavirus), fun, smiles, understanding and compassion.
It’s hard to hate someone you see up close. You can see their facial expressions, you can hear the sadness (or happiness!) in their voice, you can feel their energy. As a result, real life interactions are the total opposite of what takes place on social media platforms where you only get so many words to type and tone is missing.
Get out of your house. Say hello to a neighbor. Go grab dinner with a friend. Go to the gym. Get away from social media. It’s actually toxic to be consuming so much of it at this point. My usage has been WAY down the last 5 days and I’m keeping it that way for the foreseeable future. Keep feeding your brain garbage and hate and that’s what you’re going to get out. Get out in the REAL world and see for yourselves that everyday people are NOTHING like what I see in this orchestrated fantasy world online.
This doesn’t mean you have to stay silent on topics that go against your core values. Post and exit. Do not engage the other “side.” Just don’t respond. Speak your truths and leave the conversation. There is very, very little room for debate and adult conversation online these days. If the DMs, posts or memes are hateful or nasty, it’s not worth your energy to respond. You said your piece. Stop feeding the beast by ignoring the toxicity and negativity. Stop it in its tracks. Do not play into their hands.
I still firmly believe that people are inherently good. Their priorities might not be yours and you might not see eye to eye on every topic (and on every talking point on said topic). That’s ok, because we all come from unique backgrounds with different experiences, no two people are going to view the events of the last 10 months exactly the same.
I’ve talked to hundreds of people in the past week that feel exactly the same way I do. When they interact in the real world, exchanges are actually pretty darn “old normal”. Keep hope alive. There is hope. Don’t give up hope. We are not as far gone as some would have you believe. People are STILL good. They far outweigh the bad. The “bad” are just the loudest in the room. Be louder with your hope, humanity and joy.
