The man and I have made a conscious choice to turn off the news. We are uninterested in post mortems about why Kamala lost, though I did read one compelling article that finally broke through to me about the degree to which most of the country is immersed in news coverage of the far right, that the things I hear and believe to be true, simply are not part of their universe of belief. It is as if we exist in two completely different realities. My son, who works with a lot of men who vote red, in firehouses where Fox news blares day and night, has tried to tell me that we are in a silo, that I have no idea of what most of the country is consuming as fact. I finally get it. And in this moment, there is nothing I can do about it but preserve my own peace, protect my own sanctuary.
One morning a few days after the election, I looked around my house at the light pouring in just so, and I thought, well, the forces out there who would wish to do me harm are not inside this space, not at this moment, and so in these rooms, I will breathe full, free breaths, and I will live my life one day at a time, and meet whatever comes, and take whatever opportunities present themselves to make things just a little bit better in our hurting world. I’m remembering something an enlightened man I once interviewed proposed to me: It's a beautiful paradox, he said. You don't have to change the world. You only have to change yourself. That is how you change the world. So I'm over here, inside my house, trying to become immersed in the work that has been given me to do. The new book. To find the story's momentum. To lose myself there. To let the world happen as it will and as it won't. To be my own clay. For now, anyway. At least for now.
I've been avoiding the news too. It's like the toxic ooze in Ghostbusters, best avoided at all costs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your read on the state of things today. Silos definitely. I was unaware they would largely determine the election results.
ReplyDeleteFor now, I shall go along to get along. That said, the new awareness prepares us for the future. Knowledge is key.
When you say that it's as if we live in two different universes, you are speaking the truth.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am avoiding the news. I can't stand to think of the way things are going to change and I can't stand to listen to the "why Kamala lost" explanations either. I have decided that none of these pundits has any more idea of the truth of it than I do and quite frankly, I think it's because we are country of ignorant, racist, misogynist fools.
Codex: Good plan. Silos, echo chambers; many new names. The sci-fi author John Scalzi had a very good blog. Had a book deal right before DT a few years later, he regretted the time spent engaging with certain people on social media rather than finishing his book. One gets sucked into it, gains nothing from it. At least I learned that much. Many of the third that voted do not understand how world politics and trade work. I'll have to find news sources that don't mention him.
ReplyDeleteAfter nightmare marathons thank you for giving me a good night's rest with your welcoming comment.
In one of the few conversations I had with my father about living as schoolboy and then teenager during the nazi times in a relatively quiet town far away from the big cities (nothing like Berlin), he shrugged and said, well you had to figure out ways to stay afloat, out of the limelight, away from suspicious looks, queries, while still keeping "your moral principles" as he would call it. His way to stay afloat was to read lots and lots, to garden, to look after animals, to play chess and soccer and to make sure the curtains were drawn when the family listened to forbidden radio stations. He also often spoke about how his family, immediate and distant, grew close and looked out for each other, because, as he explained, you could not trust anybody else.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this.
DeleteYour writing area is golden. It's just beautiful where you sit. We quit cable channels this summer. Have not really missed it. US television is pretty much crap, anyway. BritBox for me! So, we don't know what CNN and et. al. are saying and do not actually care.
ReplyDeleteThe light that shines in the home you and your man share is sublime.
ReplyDeleteYou and your son are correct, Sabine's father was also correct and hopefully by leaning in to your beautiful family, you will survive and thrive. I do not have television and while one hears ads, I can skip them. What is harder is avoiding the companies which donated money to the right in this election but I will make an honest attempt to discover and not patronize them. Your light is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had words that could describe how I feel about these times we are about to enter... I live in fear for the future of our planet and all the kind innocent people who mean nothing to the powerful. So... I balance my anxiety with the beauty of our planet, like the sunlight pouring in through the window and color of autumn leaves on the trees. We are in this moment together. (NewRobin13)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great picture. Your son's comment about his co-workers is interesting. It makes me wonder why Fox has such widespread appeal. Is it the vitriol? The confirmation bias? What are people getting there that they DON'T get on network TV, or CNN, or at The New York Times?
ReplyDeleteAnd we have to keep spreading the truth and contribute to those that are doing good work. Resist where we can and don't support those companies that supported him.
ReplyDeleteIt has become clear to me over the days since November 5th that Allison & I are like you and your husband, we are in our own little silo. Alas, I fear that your son and Mary Moon are both correct.
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