Not Engaging

It’s actually quite refreshing not keeping up to date with the news. By detaching oneself from the doom and gloom stories that are so much bigger than you or I can handle or do anything about, one can feel as though a bit of a weight has been taken off one’s mind.

The way I see it, lots of people are feeling depressed about this world for all sorts of reasons: the EU withdrawal process trundling along through inexplicably impossible hurdles; the US president being an unhinged megalomaniac; rain. These are things that are bigger than us – real global challenges – that many of us are not necessarily able to have any real direct influence on but which may have some kind of influence on our lives going forward. It’s hard not to feel upset by that.

It may not be the best solution, but I’ve found that simply not engaging my mind with it any more seems to help my mental state. The only things I really have to worry about is what I’m going to read, watch or play when I get in of a night; what I’m going to eat later; when I should start Christmas shopping.

That’s not to say I’m completely disengaged with the wider world. I’m aware of these things happening and continuing to fill up the news schedules. But watching and listening to the same kinds of stories day after day gets tiring and annoying – of course it starts to weigh on you – so I simply just tune out of the finer detail.

After that, my mind feels slightly more free of the incessant crap that’s been clogging things up lately. It’s a bit rambly this, sorry. In basic terms, stop caring so much about things you can’t do much about. Want to be happier? Let go of the crap that’s making you unnecessarily unhappy.

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One from earlier in the year, I skimmed over this the first time around but was recently smacked in the face with a soulful chorus. It’s understandable considering the rest of the track hovers around dark and moody bluesy rock territory.

Despite this featuring a lot of imagery of mankind’s vast history of oppressing each other, I dare say there’s a joyous feeling about that gospel-style chorus. That, plus the image of a guy spontaneously dancing around in a warehouse has a nice little charm about it.

Algiers – The Underside Of Power