While perusing the current news articles, I came across Screaming into the Void: Outrage is Hijacking Our Culture and Our Minds. This Hidden Brain episode challenged my perspective. I’ve focused on articles that address egregious injustice, issues that need correction, and opinions different from mine. Like many others, I’ve picked up the outrage ball and sprinted to the goal line eager to point out areas of similar concern. Here’s the problem: talking about issues, griping about issues, arguing about issues doesn’t resolve issues. My great grandfather said, “Stirring a bucket of s*** doesn’t eliminate the s***, it only makes it stink more.”
So I’ve been wasting time, energy, and my general well-being on stirring inside that bucket. Therefore, drumroll please, I’m making a change. Instead of dwelling on the stuff in the bucket, I will search and suggest possible individual solutions, tips to help navigate around that stinky bucket. Nope, I’m not Wonder Woman nor Queen of the Universe, although the images have a certain appeal. My contributions may or may not make a difference. But at least I will stop contributing to the current social outrage. It’s doing very well without my input.
I’d be interested in your thoughts on the outrage hijack. Have you been a victim? If so, how has it impacted your life, your mood. Leave a comment or post a question for discussion. In my next post, I’ll come up a technique to address an issue. Stay tuned to see what I come up with.
Resources:
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/04/767186846/screaming-into-the-void-how-outrage-is-hijacking-our-culture-and-our-minds
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