Triggers and Silencers

In case you haven’t noticed yet:

America the beautiful… isn’t.

(It’s not great again either, in my opinion.)

It’s getting uglier, scarier, darker and more dangerous by the day.

America, the land of vitriol and vengeance and violence. Triggering and trafficking. Bullies and bullets and bludgeoning and brutalizing.

It seems fairly obvious that we need to start asking why. How did we get here… how can we change course?

Like, now.

Rerouting… rerouting…

I didn’t watch the video of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Nor the Irena Zarutska stabbing. I can’t do it.

I won’t.

When did “disturbing images” become part of our newsfeed daily diet anyway? And for heaven’s sake, why?

I’d rather starve, thank you.

Back in the 80s, I studied journalism. We learned fundamentals of reporting, investigative practice, journalistic ethics. (All currently at risk of extinction it seems.) We spent hours and hours discussing how to best disseminate the information and present it credibly and responsibly. Without bias or bluster.

Forty years later, I wonder if journalists have the same mission. Are they truly intent on asking hard questions, reporting the facts, covering all angles, telling the full story? Or have they morphed into content creators, simply churning out clips (and click-bait) for cash? Advancing different (divisive) agendas, pandering to left/right audiences, playing them like fiddles.

You tell me.

Media is like food. It can nourish you… or make you sick. It can inform… or incite you. It can teach… or trigger you.

Everybody can find content that’ll satisfy their craving, give them a dopamine hit or adrenaline surge. But that doesn’t constitute a balanced diet.

We need to vet our sources. Curate our feed. Cut the crap. Make sure what we’re consuming is clean and lean.

And maybe consider some intermittent fasting too.

We weren’t meant to gorge ourselves with media from first light til after midnight. We’re overloading our system… and inevitably, we’ll crash. Especially if the content is toxic to boot: “Graphic Images,” “Disturbing Content,” “Trigger Warnings…”

Modern media has proven adept at politicizing and traumatizing, polarizing and radicalizing, pontificating… and nauseating.

Without apology.

TUMS, anyone?

I don’t have answers for all that ails us but I know a pretty good place to start.

Close the laptop.

Silence the phone.

Turn off the hi-def, surround-sound, smart TV. (Smart…? Really?)

Hear that?

It’s the sweet sound of silence.

Golden.

Take a break. Quiet the clamor. Clear your head.

Get outdoors. Take a walk.

Or sit and talk.

Read a book.

Bake a cake.

Take a nap.

Our brains weren’t hardwired to process the onslaught of audiovisual content coming at us. In fact, it’s actually hurting us. But we’re addicts.

We.

Just.

Can’t.

Quit.

Consuming more media won’t cure us or our country. It won’t comfort us, console us… or give us peace.

But Jesus will.

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] ~ John 16:33 (AMP)

Good will win.

Because God has already won.

He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity. The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it. ~ John 1:4-5 (GW)

And never will.

Believe it. Believe him.

And pray for America.

Wendy