Take a sabbatical from news!
There is difference between being engaged in political matters than being tuned to political news. News is never about the good, the hopeful, or you for that matter. It’s yet another distraction tool to disengage you from what is a meaningful, productive life.
What really matters though? How to be engaged or aware? To me the answer is very straightforward, talk to someone real, go out there and engage in a simple social interaction. And I mean actually talk to someone, don’t chat with them on Facebook. And while we are at it, quit all social networks too (because why not? At least for a while, you can always rejoin!).
I think if we all talk to more people it has more impact on our average awareness, we would understand the other side of spectrum much better. I was in Prague with a friend -partying hard as one do in Prague- and there was this Israeli hippie that we were talking to and at some point he realized I am Irannian and he was blown away by this simple fact (that you can be both Iranian and not a lunatic-I don’t wanna know how Iranians are pictured in Israeli TV). And somehow, I imagine that random bar conversation in Prague with a Israeli dude had more impact -in both of our lives- than a Facebook post or this very post.
So, I would suggest just get out there and talk to a random stranger, I guarantee you’d feel better and perhaps we are all going to be socially and politically more engaged that way. So, quit Facebook and news for a while and try it.
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P.S. I just read the book Deep Work by Cal Newport, and this post is influenced by it.
