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
Yeah for me the inescapable fact seems to be that humanity is currently facing a series of somewhat existential crises (climate change, looming authoritarianism, a global pandemic etc.) and we’ve utterly failed to meet each one by backsliding into selfishness and idiocy. With climate change especially there doesn’t seem to be any fixing or avoiding it now, it’s just a matter of how bad it’s going to be, and a lot of predictions seem to be pointing towards “worse than we thought.”
So I dunno, for me the logical response to that would be depression and cynicism. We knew it was coming, we had every chance to avoid it, we didn’t, now we’re fucked.
It’s indeed very difficult and my take is that the system wants us like this. To be depressed, full of fear and hopeless. Mainly of course through media.
What I considered one solution to fight back this is to discuss current events, solutions etc with a group of similar minded people. I don’t mean join a cult etc. No far from it. But finding people with same concerns by openly discussing them will bond them into bigger groups and this helps a lot. Gives a sense of fulfilment and hope.
No fear. Act.
You raised a very good point that I did not realize until now. In the past 8 years we actually stopped talking about politics to others, because it became so polarizing.
We absolutely need to talk about politics if we want to keep democracy. Hardliners likely won’t be converted, but at least, as you said, we should talk to like minded people.
Also, there’s indeed no point to worry about things outside of our control, and worry about things we can affect. Threat the things that happen, that we can’t control more as an obstacle that we have to deal with. Also support people who might have control and fight (governors, congress people, lawyers, judges, government employees, etc) so they know that aren’t doing it for nothing.
Correct. Also have in mind the all political sides, lefts, rights etc are all the same wearing different masks. True change comes from the base, from people, not from politicians placed by the system for people to vote. The base, the people when discuss and propose the most fit person to represent them , this is true democracy.
How do you find leftist groups? I’ve been to a couple local democrat meetings and I just can’t hang. It’s just older people that are okay with the status quo. And I want to break things.
See comment above. Don’t fall into the trap of lefts and rights.
Don’t fall into the trap of lefts and rights
That is a very important comment, thank you! We are just being played to perfection at the moment, peak divide and conquer. If we can refuse to play these games, maybe we can all learn and evolve.
Agreed! I get this with my Unitarian Universalist church community. UUs don’t require anyone to believe a certain scripture, but we have a shared set of principles, like valuing democracy, science, and nature. The community aspect and music program are great by themselves, and our minister’s sermons have been a great source of motivation to keep fighting for what we believe in.
I’m in love with Stanford Beer and his saying “The purpose of a system is what it does”.
So yes, if most of us are depressed and anxious then that is what the system is for.
Get involved in direct action in your community. Linking up with an org or group that does real community service and solidarity can help prevent you from feeling helpless and falling into that depressive spiral.
Help at a soup kitchen, provide homeless care kits, work a food/clothing drive, work with a crew to clean up gang tags from walls, pick up litter, build bird boxes, etc.
Seeing your community get a little better can do a lot for your mental health.
Remember that dispite the horrors of our species, we have accomplished some pretty incredible things. Just 200 years ago, we were still putting leaches on people and not washing our hands before performing medical procedures.
Now, we use microscopic lasers to correct blindness, cure certain types or deafness by implanting magnets into skulls, we can deliver and grow infants that are born several months too early to full term with minimal complications, and we can treat scores of diseases that would have been a death sentence just 200 years ago.
The Capitalist scum would have you believe that nobody would have done those things unless they made money doing it, but that’s a lie and projection. They wouldn’t have done that if it didn’t make them money, because they are evil and without empathy.
But they don’t represent the human spirit, what we are truly capable of when we work together for the common good.
The greatest accomplishments of our species aren’t when we compete and fight each other. The greatest accomplishments happen when we cooperate with each other. Don’t let the rich and powerful convince you otherwise.
Recognize the problems which you have the power to solve, and the ones you don’t. Fix what you can with mindfulness and compassion, accept what you can’t with emotionless calm. Reevaluate periodically.
That’s the neat part, you don’t.
Right? I’ve never believed that depression is a brain chemical issue. It’s an issue of being aware of the true nature of the world and species.
Edit: Take your pills the fancy drug dealer prescribed you for your “depression” and break your dicks. Numb yourself up to it all and live your best life, man. I don’t give a fuck. I drink, so it probably isn’t much better. Heh. Sorry I struck a nerve, but my perspective on this matter isn’t changing in my lifetime. This is the same industry that used to electrocute and shove ice picks into your brain. Now they do it with chemicals. Still just clueless throw shit at the wall and see what sticks nonsense that will never solve the real problem.
It’s both.
I think they’re 2 different things. being acutely aware of how totally an utterly fucked we all are doesn’t stop me from doing things I like.
No other animal suffers from depression. If it were a brain chemical issue, where are all the depressed squirrels and buffalo? It’s a human problem. That brain chemical imbalance shit is a neat way for the pharmaceutical companies to push their expensive poison on us. Break your dick and ruin one of the few good things in life. Happy now? Pass.
Depressed? Congratulations. You’re more intelligent and aware than most.
No other animal suffers from depression.
Behind a paywall so I unfortunately can’t read it. These are animals being held in captivity and being tested on by their captors? Heh. Pretty apt comparison if that’s the case. I’m sure the solution is to give them pills to numb them rather than free them no doubt.
Unpaywalled
Of course animals suffer from depression. This isn’t something I need to prove to you. This comment just goes to show that you’re either not very observant in any context or you’ve never been to a zoo. And no dipshit, it doesn’t make zoo animals not depressed because humans cause it in the cases where it’s easiest seen. By virtue of us being human, of course those examples would be seen by us. Jesus Christ some people trip over themselves to hold an insanely wrong viewpoint.
Yeah, I’m sure being held captive by terrifying ape creatures isn’t what causes their mental issues at all just like the conditions that terrifying ape creatures inflict onto us isn’t what causes ours. It’s just a brain chemical imbalance you are born with, you see, and you have to electrocute the brain to solve everything… wait, no, shove this ice pick up your eye… well, that was problematic… take these chemicals! Hmmm… let’s try a dozen more until we find the “right” one.
Fucking hell no.
You seem like the type of person who cannot accept that things are complicated and multiple things can be true at once.
Only thing I need to know in this case is that I don’t trust that industry and find it terrifying that they have been given any credibility and legal power over others. Quacks with degrees in pseudoscience whose book of diagnostics was written by the same people on the pharmaceutical boards. I will have nothing to do with it.
You do you and follow your own beliefs and practices.
I wanted to say there is some truth in what you’re saying but the more I read, the more clueless you sound. Depression is real, and drugs that fuck your sex life up are probably worse. I have a lot of bad days but good days, good art, and a well placed joint help. Just because a lot of the current understanding of depression is flawed or wrong doesn’t make it a fake made up condition. You probably aren’t depressed if you can say that. Being the kid who was always super sensitive, would cry for hours, and getting really sad just thinking about something briefly are all things I experienced which prove to me that depression is real. No one else in my family was suffering like that. And I could say I was of higher intelligence and that’s why, if I wanted to jerk myself off like you’re doing, but the truth is it’s a lot more complicated than that.
Seriously, you don’t know what you’re talking about. SSRIs saved my life. I was recently barely clinging on to my job as I was on the verge of a panic attack nearly 24/7. I’ve been off and on SSRIs before so I do know they’re very difficult to quit, but I was close to institutionalizing myself from the level of anxiety I was dealing with.
Yes they have downsides and yes they should be used as a last resort, but writing them off entirely is a stupid mentality.
Numb yourself up to it all and live your best life
Yes, I will
I personally am writing them off entirely for personal use, but I am happy they work for you. I’ve been saying the entire time in this thread that it’s a personal decision… I’ll admit I was playing it up for that one user who was super rude to me because it was fun to piss him off, but you are cool.
Thank you, and I do get it. I have a love/hate relationship with SSRIs, but 2024 was really rough for me and they were the only thing that pulled me out of it all.
They are a heavy drug though with withdrawals worse than any other drug I’ve tried. I’ve fought to get off of them before in the past (when my mental health was doing better). I’ve spent entire years slowly tapering while still dealing with brain zaps and mood swings.
Like I said, last resort thing.
Yeah, I was there when a former best friend went through it after her online psychiatrist put her on a cocktail of Adderall, antidepressants, and who knows what else and she was having the brain shocks, withdrawals, vomiting. That’s definitely very real.
It does make me angry when they prescribe it all willy nilly like that without trying other things first.
Wish you the best of luck getting clear of them and living a happy life.
Yeah those symptoms sound accurate. It’s not fun.
Thank you though, you as well!
I’m curious. Have you always been a complete jackass?
To become this enlightened has taken some time, so fret not. There’s hope for you. Perhaps once you’ve lost a couple of friends to this destructive industry. Until then, I can see you’re quite comfortable in the circle jerk.
So, yes.
I’ll be whatever you all need me to be and I’m quite confident in my beliefs on the matter. I will also continue to be able to achieve an erection and orgasm until my age naturally catches up with me. You do you.
One answer could be for you to learn and practice philosophy alongside your learnings of world news. In particular, stoicism and stoic philosophy can allow you to watch these external events and consider them as they are, but with the understanding that these things reside outside of your control which preserves your feelings and self from being affected by them. It really brings more power to you through anything you go through or experience.
Philosophers Who Addressed This Question
1.) Albert Camus
• Work: The Myth of Sisyphus (1942)
• Argument: Camus argues that life is absurd, meaning it is full of suffering and chaos without inherent meaning. However, he suggests that one can resist despair by embracing life with defiance and by finding meaning through action and creativity.
• Example: Camus likens human existence to Sisyphus, who is condemned to roll a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down. Camus proposes that we must “imagine Sisyphus happy,” finding joy in the act of persistence itself rather than in outcomes.
2.) Martha Nussbaum
• Work: Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions (2001)
• Argument: Nussbaum defends the idea that emotions like compassion and anger can be powerful motivators for justice but need to be tempered with rationality and self-care to avoid burnout. She advocates for a philosophy of practical engagement, where one maintains emotional investment in the world while creating boundaries to protect one’s mental well-being.
• Example: Nussbaum might suggest that instead of being overwhelmed by global problems, you focus on one specific issue you can influence—channeling compassion into tangible actions.
3.) Viktor Frankl
• Work: Man’s Search for Meaning (1946)
• Argument: As a Holocaust survivor, Frankl emphasizes the importance of finding purpose even in the face of suffering. He argues that meaning can be found in how we respond to suffering, whether through action, creativity, or how we endure hardships.
• Example: Even when facing immense global crises, Frankl might suggest asking, “What specific actions can I take to create meaning and contribute positively, no matter how small?
The cure for grief is action. Go to a DSA meeting, join a mutual aid society, volunteer at a community garden. Help out at a food pantry. Put the values you believe in back into the world.
I stopped using social media so much, the internet is moved by clicks and panic content gets them, but I find it overwhelming.
Build community locally, spend time with friends and family cultivating relationships, do something generous for someone else, volunteer for a charity or activism, build an interest in a creative hobby that exercises your imagination. Follow your curiosity and our common interests in discovery and exploration through education and experimentation.
Do something about it. I run an LGBT center and help homeless trans people get housing. You will be surprised how you can get stuff like this going just by talking to people (a lot, like every day, zealously). You don’t need to be rich.
I’m surrounded by people that give a shit every day. We’ve made a bubble that can’t pop.
One person cannot fix every problem in the world. But you can do your part.
I’ve blocked as much news out of my life as I can manage with the exception of some financial news. That includes blocking all the news communities on Lemmy. Things still slip through, but I also push myself to just ignore the bits that I still see and move on with my life. I’m much happier as a result. In terms of being aware of big news, if its a big enough deal, the fine folks here at Lemmy will create memes to let me know.
Reading through all the other doomposts I felt obligated to share my view.
I read national/international news every day, and I’m still optimistic about humanity’s future.
First off, I don’t bother with local news at all. That really is just a cesspool of crime reporting. My dad summarized local news pretty well: “someone was murdered today, and heres some footage of blood on the pavement.”
As far as national and international news goes, I read it because I think it’s interesting and it’s good to stay informed, but you can’t use it as a barometer for how the world’s doing, because news is just inherently negative. It doesn’t mean the world is actually doing bad!
Which of the following do you think would get reported as a headline?
“Indonesia enjoys another year without a tsunami”
“Thousand killed as tsunami ravages Indonesian coast”
“Global poverty rate continues slow, steady decline”
“Millions at risk of starvation as African crops fail”
“Good news, no new deadly infectious diseases this year”
“Scientists raise alarm over spread of bird flu”
I think maybe it’s helpful to think of the news not as objective reporting on the state of the world but rather like a police blotter that just logs bad things that have happened. And I think it’s perfectly fine to tune it out and just live your life. If you’re interested in a particular issue, like homelessness or an election maybe look at a less sensational information source like Wikipedia or something.
Also, just a little mini-rant: the two types of people who are most negative about the state of the world are religious missionaries and leftists. Because in order to convince you that the world needs a savior they have to convince you that we aren’t on a path to do it ourselves. So, maybe steer clear of news on Lemmy as well haha
Kinda sad to see the local news comment. I’m not sure if there’s just a really bad local news station by you or there’s some preconceived notions floating there, but you’re more likely to remember the reporting of a death versus Grandma Martha’s award winning plant that got recognition.
If you have other techniques for staying up to date with local and state events please share them, people need to be involved with local more than national (both are important, statistically you impact local more though). I have a couple of local news stations that I follow with their online postings. I feel it’s important to comment and discuss on those because the only vocal people seem to be extremists on there, people need to see that there are like minded people nearby so it’s not so weird to think differently to them.
I’m also confused by your religious missionaries and leftists comment, are you including the right-wing with religious? I can’t argue that everyone doesn’t push the whole savior narrative, just not sure why you singled out those two groups and left everyone else out lol.
The reason I singled out leftists is that over the last couple decades, in the ideological struggle between socialists and capitalists… the capitalists pretty much won. There are are still some holdouts around the world but in general leftists are left on the outside looking in as the capitalist-led world grows more prosperous (and lots of bad things too, I’m not trying to play it off as capitalist good socialist bad). But in their position, all leftists can really do is criticize the status quo. And, again, there are plenty of valid criticisms to make, but because they are removed from power leftists can’t do very much “look at the good things socialism is doing,” it’s 99% “look at all the bad things capitalism is doing”. At least in the US/Western Europe.
The right-wing can at least say things like “the economy is doing well” and “technology is advancing due to [Company]'s breakthrough” in between fear-mongering about immigration.
Ah, guess we’ve just hit different perspectives in life. I live in the rural south of the US. So radio, local news, politicians, and social conversations all basically skew either religious or right-wing (often times mixed). The fear-mongering is constant. One of the reasons why I was so discouraged by the DNC this last election cycle; they lead with fear mongering lately, which I was already inundated with.
Yeah I guess you’re right. Both sides have been pretty…apocalyptic lately.
Communism.
Don’t fall into doomerism - news companies are companies, and negativity gets people on their platforms for much longer than positivity, it’s easy to get addicted to it. Set time limits or limit the amount of news you consume per day/per week.
Recognize that caring about something requires mental energy - if you had 1 friend who asks you to care about their hobby or learn a bit more, then you might agree, but if you have 20 friends with different hobbies asking the same thing, then there’s no way you can care about all of them. Similar thing applies to the news, recognize that you can’t care about everything and try learning how to stay informed without giving up lots of mental energy stressing about things you can’t really influence.
It’s admirable wanting to keep up with the news, but it also can be a bit of a trap and does require a degree of skill to not fall into what you describe in your post.
