OP. Same.

I am realizing I am bubbling over with anger and indignation. I need to up my exercise and take a mental health day soon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of people are going to come at this with “just turn off the news/the internet/get off social media!” And I don’t disagree but the whole “ignorance is bliss” approach doesn’t sit well with me. Does burying your head in the sand really work

Right, because if you ignore it, you can't see what's happening. We are in pre WW11 right now..repeating history.

If you don’t ignore it you are still not able to change anything, you just make yourself anxious/depressed, so what’s the point?

Imagine it is 1930s Germany and there were people who "just didn't want to know." There were, and people who turned a blind eye. Why would we do that?

On the one hand I am happy the focus is off ukraine; on the other hand so many people I know have shown their true colors (it’s ok to kill certain kids but not others).
Too many disappointments since covid when so many people were just… not reasonable!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of people are going to come at this with “just turn off the news/the internet/get off social media!” And I don’t disagree but the whole “ignorance is bliss” approach doesn’t sit well with me. Does burying your head in the sand really work

Right, because if you ignore it, you can't see what's happening. We are in pre WW11 right now..repeating history.

If you don’t ignore it you are still not able to change anything, you just make yourself anxious/depressed, so what’s the point?

Anonymous wrote:This thread is making me feel a little better, ironically. Part of what's so hard is that this whole thing is making me feel weirdly alone.

Same

Anonymous wrote:Same. I feel like the world is a pit of despair with no way out.

I feel this way at moments and am taken aback by my own feelings. I’m an even-keeled and generally positive person.

I've always paid attention to current events: the "first" big conflict I was aware of was the Bosnia-Herzegovinia conflict when I was a teen, and as a European, that struck close to home.

This new iteration of the same old Israeli-Palestinian conflict developed because pre-existing tensions were not resolved, and were exacerbated in recent times. There was bound to be an explosion at some point.

The Ukraine invasion by Russia was in the offing since before 2014, and is a consequence of what happens when dictators age and look to distract their restless population with nationalist sentiment and conquest.

Scientists have warned people about drastic changes in climate for decades.

China is looking to resolve the Taiwan question, but is waiting for the right time, and is wondering whether a real estate crisis and possible recession is the right time.

So we're due, basically. If you don't pay attention to these things, you might be shocked. But these were all in the making for years and years... and for climate change, since the beginnings of the industrial revolution.

Pay closer attention so you know where the hot spots are in the world.

Absolutely, and I’m Jewish so the current environment is really alarming. I’ve certainly thought about and learned about anti-semitism but my own experiences with it have been only very, very minor. To see it becoming so significant that I’m telling my kids not to wear t-shirts that could identify them as Jewish because they are from Jewish camps or activities is disturbing. And leaving aside any personal connection to the situation, the world and our country just feels like a powder keg. It’s hard not to get into specific politics here though because the main thing which pushes me over the edge in terms of anxiety is the specter of Trump winning again. Like I don’t know what happens then in this country. That’s like a historical break point.

I’m not sticking my nose in the sand but I was spending too much time on Twitter and becoming really anxious so I’m now trying to read the WP briefly in the morning, check CNN maybe midday and only 10 min on Twitter a day. My anxiety was really getting out of hand and it was spilling over to personal issues that make me anxious.

I'm not sure how to say this without being political, but for some reason, the insanity over the Middle East is making me feel better, or at least helping me feel less alone. For the first time in a long time, other people are seeing what I've seen and felt in recent years about how adherents to certain ideologies not only don't care about the well-being or rights of those who don't support their strict views, but they actively promote and wish for harm to come to non-believers. There are no "human rights" when you believe that average people trying to live their lives deserve punishment and even death for sins of the past.

Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of people are going to come at this with “just turn off the news/the internet/get off social media!” And I don’t disagree but the whole “ignorance is bliss” approach doesn’t sit well with me. Does burying your head in the sand really work

Right, because if you ignore it, you can't see what's happening. We are in pre WW11 right now..repeating history.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the type of divisiveness. We've seen the country go from moderate on both sides, to moderate and left battling crazy fiction and conspiracy, as if anyone can battle that. Then we have this middle east debacle where everyone has found another group to battle, including those who were once like minded, yet now against each other.
Political parties are meaningless now, we're all just in changing tribes on single issues.
It's almost as if Russian is looking for a last chance tactic for the 2024 election and it is working.
One thing is for certain- social media is not helping.

Please stop blaming outside countries for what the American political system and media are doing to themselves. Step one is realizing you have a problem.

We got here through the last 7 years due to outside influence targeting the most vulnerable, and knowing exactly how to do it. We live in crazy town now, nothing is real. There's nothing Russia wants more than to keep the right wing in power and the the $$ out of Ukraine.

I think this Middle East issue is getting worse directly from social media as if anything else could make it less horrible. This is one topic to stay away from online.

This thread is making me feel a little better, ironically. Part of what's so hard is that this whole thing is making me feel weirdly alone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not on any side in the mid east conflict, but I am staying away from the news because it's just so horrible. On both sides.

I’m with you. I feel weird alone in the middle. It seems everyone around me is firmly on one side or the other. I used to be a news junkie but I just can’t anymore.

I think the news is so omnipresent now that it's ok to restrict consumption. And, like one of the other pps pointed out, there are people who are stoking any sort of divisiveness.

I'm also glad to know I'm not the only person just overwhelmed by the awfulness of it all.