I have this theory that there is a fine line between engagement and outrage in world events. Sustained outrage is not good for the soul. It goes along with the idea that rehashing events and issues can sometimes give them too much importance, especially when there is limited means to act. (It’s ok if those limits are self-imposed, also.)
I think it’s important we learn how to engage in healthful ways for our own selves. For me that looks like reading the news, for instance, and discussing it face to face with family, mostly. Writing, sometimes letters. Maybe a mention on social media. Sometimes I’ll post many times on a subject, the fire for instance, because it was a personal event. I try hard to avoid outrage in the face of outrageous things because anger does not help me think and process. I don’t always succeed. Sometimes I don’t WANT to think and process. I just want to be mad. Fine, if it’s part of a journey rather than an endless road pitted with people to blame.
I think if I learned anything from COVID, it was that I’m not able to sustain fury (which I already knew). But I learned how unhealthy it is. Sometimes I’ve wondered if there’s a cosmic connection between the anger in the world and the disease that rampaged through it. Regardless, I’ve had to back away, look away, refocus, when outrageous things come to bear. It makes for a quieter life, less FOMO and more slo-mo, and now the challenge is to find out what that looks like moving forward.