Unplugging
I could tell something had changed by the tone in his voice and that recognition has changed my life. I was talking on the phone to a friend we’ll call “Matt”. That’s because it’s his name so it would be kinda weird to call him anything else. Matt is a ridiculously smart, wise and caring man who has an important job that is heavily impacted by decisions made by our beloved California state legislature. Often there are unintended consequences to the aforementioned legislative decisions, and my friend Matt has to bear the brunt of their (all too often) short sighted thinking. It’s been a topic of our conversations in the past and about a month ago he was telling me yet again how he was trying to clean up a mess they made. But this time something was different. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: So what happened?
Matt: With what? You mean about the unintended consequences from the aforementioned California state legislature?
Me: No, we’re talking now in the past and that line is from my blog post written 27 days from now.
Matt: Huh?
Me: Never mind, you’re making me regret calling you smart and wise. What’s changed with you? We’ve had this conversation in the past and you’ve been frustrated and angry and now you’re talking about it again but your voice is light and almost joyful. What’s going on?
Matt: It’s simple. I unplugged from the news
OK, so maybe that’s not a verbatim transcript, but it would be pretty creepy if I was recording calls with my friends. That conversation inspired me to make one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. I decided to unplug from the news by going on a 30 day fast from all US politics.
Now, for some of you that may not sound like a big deal, but it was for me. I’m a history buff and a political news junkie. I love reading all the inside scoop on events, both historic and current, and I pride myself on being a well informed citizen. The first week was pretty tough and it made me realize just how much time I was spending reading about this stuff. I still read other news, about science (like the new Mars rover - incredible!), or world events. I’m almost at the end of the 30 days now, and I can tell there is a difference in me.
You see, I am not a big fan of our past president and I devoured anything that cast him in a bad light (which, let’s face it, is not difficult to do). I realize now that I’ve been pretty angry for the last four years, and not in a healthy way. There is a righteous anger, driven by the desire to see injustice rectified, but far too often (in my case anyway), that can lead to a self righteousness, and an us/them mentality (or hawk/crow mentality if you’re a faithful reader of this blog). My anger level has gone down and I am thinking more clearly, and more globally, about the problems we’re facing in this country. I decided to extend the fast to the end of Lent and then I’ll figure out how to re-engage in a healthy way. Right now I’m considering only reading print journalism, or at least limit myself to long form articles that have the time and space to explore issues with more depth and nuance. I tried to always do this, but I’ll make a more concerted effort to seek both sides of the issues from credible sources.
I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but the reality is that we are being manipulated by powerful people to stay angry with each other. Anger is addicting and they know how to stoke it to keep us engaged on their platforms. I knew this was happening, but I thought it was just the “other side”. Surely not “my side” which is on the side of truth and justice. Why would they do this? Good question! (You’re so much better at this than Matt)! Because if we’re angry we’re more likely to click and consume more of their content and then they charge their advertisers more money, and a small group of people at the top get fabulously rich. And our country suffers.
Bottom line: they are far more interested in enraging you than informing you.
I can see it clearly now that I’ve unplugged from the rage machine. And that’s just the news sites. If you are getting any information from social media, please stop now and watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix. We are all being manipulated in a game that has serious consequences for our country.
Now, don't get me wrong. I think there are many cases where there is a clear right/wrong and I don’t see a moral equivalence everywhere. Good people need to get angry at times, as Jesus did when he overturned tables in the temple when he saw greed corrupt a place of worship. But as I’ve disengaged from the rage machine, I’m seeing my focus shift towards ideas as being wrong, instead of people. I’m more open to listening and learning, instead of preaching and lecturing. I’m feeling the inklings of that lightness in spirit that I heard in Matt’s voice, and I’m grateful for it and want to see it grow.
Just think what a different world we would have if everyone unplugged from unhealthy sources of information and they went out of business. Sounds too idealistic? If I can do it, I think anyone can. Care to join me?
