As someone in the US it’s so easy to see so many depressing issues from the ravages of capitalism, to war, imperialism, and genocide. How can one care about these issues and hope for change without allowing themselves to be affected mentally?
I’ve been considering this for the past week, connecting it with Buddhist compassion towards the world and a need for mindfulness. But it’s so easy to fall into emotionlessness.
I’ve also thought through the world has always had issues and though some are getting much worse some are getting better.
I have gone to counseling before but they just make it an individual problem when it’s the world.
Edit: doesn’t have to be US centric. Just I’m writing from that pov
Watch the telly. Television tends to keep people somewhat informed but apathetic.
If they’d make people actually feel the horrors of the world, then people would stop watching. They know this so what they do is deliver it all in a way that promotes apathy. They do show you things but structure it so that the implicit message is: don’t worry, do watch but whatever you do, don’t worry, it’s all fine, business as usual. “New report comes out, humanity is destroying the planet faster than ever before, biodiversity is plumetting […] (jingle) there’s a genocide going on and we are supporting it […] (jingle) in other news: a baby panda was born at this zoo. […] (jingle) now for the weather. . […] (jingle) thank you for watching, see you tomorrow.”
What you’ll find is that despite you being somewhat aware of current events, most of the time it all feels like an abstract thing that doesn’t really worry you. Seldom does anything you see on the telly push you to do anything. “Some important news just reached me through the telly, that means that I will now do so and so…”, yeah right. I do nothing, maybe I walk to the fridge to get a soda, since ads do have calls to action. The news has a subliminal call to apathy. So I sit back down and continue to watch my entertainment.