Relative Something

It has been two weeks now since I instantaneously and possibly irrationally set forth on an expedition of sorts to live in complete seclusion from political news. Completely unprepared, I threw myself into this odyssey as a mechanism of self-preservation. Two weeks is a pretty small sample size since I could potentially need to keep up this practice for years, but it has paid dividends thus far.

However, my avoidance of news has fallen short of overcoming the sadness that subtly paints the background of each moment, knowing that the very thing I am ignoring continues to exist and wield its negative influence on the world.

For most of my life, I have escaped periods of deep angst by fantasizing about imagined outcomes. In my most unhealthy periods of depression, the scripts usually involved outcomes where I no longer existed. Since treating my depression, I have been practicing healthier fantasies.

I like to imagine…

• a world filled with honesty, truthfulness, equity, justice, love, peace, and an endless wealth of happiness.
• that every child is nurtured in a healthy way by people who love them.
• no person being forced to live in a situation of housing insecurity.
• religions of the world wouldn’t lead people to do harm to others or act in conflict with the guise of their teachings.
• no countries fighting wars, period.
• all employers offering profit-sharing and opportunities for employee ownership.
• credit card companies never trying to entice me with spam messages and snail mail but being willing to take my application whenever I decide it’s what I want.
• every kid who ever wanted a puppy could get one and pets always come already house-trained and obedient to commands.
• a world where professional athletes don’t do post-game interviews after victories, where they try to use words to describe feelings that no words can describe. It would be a bonus for me if they don’t first thank their god for the win. Heck, it’s my fantasy, they just won’t.
• sadness not having the advantage over happiness in people who experience depression.
• that everyone who I fondly remember senses that I am thinking about them and feels the love I send.
• human bodies not giving out before a person’s spirit and soul are ready for the end of a life’s journey.
• no food insecurity anywhere on the planet.
• as long as I’m imagining, ice cream can be eaten at any time in any amount with no negative consequences.
• there are no precious metals or jewels that humans seek and value for vanity or status.

Will Steger & Paul Schurke navigating, “North to the Pole,” Crown Publishers, 1987

• humans not having disturbing problems over sex and sexuality.
• governments working transparently and ethically for their citizens’ best quality of life.
• people not living in fear and not experiencing unfounded fears about possible worst outcomes.
• being able to watch the news without psychological pain over what is actually happening.

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Can you see how hard it is for me to stay in the positive when I am imagining my happy fantasy world?

It is a long journey into my wilderness of news avoidance, with constant course corrections and frequent healthy reframing of my view of the world. I feel like I should have gotten sponsors and stocked custom thermal insulated outerwear, cool-looking boots, and plenty of high-quality foods to sustain me on this journey of news-free exploration.

For the moment, what I’m working with seems like it’s barely enough.

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