This is not a dig. I completely understand where you're coming from
But I'm sorry, I have to disagree. Strongly. The reason why we're in the mess we're in is precisely because so many people in America have tuned out from Politics, because they've chosen the blissful ignorance you so eloquently described. I fully get it. The disappointments, the corruption, the lies. It all eats at you. But that's exactly the point. To make us apathetic, cynical and nihilistic. That way only those willing to partake stay and power accrues to them to use as they desire.
No. What we need is a surge of people like us. Those willing to fight for justice and accountability. To overwhelm the rot. The problem is that there are so few of us in the fight at any given moment that we must each do the work of a small army to make up for all those who have tuned out. The answer isn't for some of us to drop out, but to inspire others to join the fight, especially at this moment.
I hope Tristan Snell reads your reply and responds to it. It is exactly what I was thinking while reading. I need someone to address your points before I will feel comfortable being one of those going happily, blithely through life.
You were missed! Beyond grateful for this open, accessible and completely relatable piece. I spend more time with my shrink talking about how to compartmentalize the politics around us all instead of getting to the internal purpose of therapy - ( lifelong relationships with gaslighters/bullies…hence the over reaction to our current administration ). Thank you Tristan. I take your piece as wisdom I will follow. Now doesn’t seem the time for a break, but maybe a shut window now and again just to not feel completely depleted in hope for humanity as a whole. You, Robert Hubble, HCR - getting us through. We are not alone. Have to believe in this very Star Wars moment, the Resistance will endure and eventually, rise up to topple the most crooked regime in my lifetime.
Do you people think our forefathers got to lollygag around feeling sorry for themselves that the British were sooo much better trained/equipped/more numerous than they or that they got a broken fingernail so couldn’t possibly go do worthy battle until healed and in psychological equilibrium? Oh, puhlease.
As the Army taught in WWII, “You do what you have to do. You can cry about it LATER.”
That's all fine and good and I would applaud you on your digital detox. But you solicited contributions to your substack right before you disappeared. I paid you $50 and
I got nothing for my money and was essentially conned. Not good!
Whilst I agree with the premise and I am in UK so I guess you’d think that to a degree I’m not so entrenched in the daily horror that you are all living out. I do have an American D/in-law and a sone with US citizenship plus a US Uk granddaughter. The problem is as bad as your lives are and I don’t say that lightly! I’m of an age when I remember my parents,my uncles,my grandfather all fighting in WW2. It was instilled in me just as reading and writing was that I should be aware of how wars start. Be they civil war or any other also I think being a European seems to give us a different perspective on dictatorship and fascism after all we have seen plenty of it.
I fear greatly that one of the tragic reasons Trump has survived to the point whereby he is a threat to America 🇺🇸 and indeed the world is maybe because of apathy amongst a few other attributes to like ignorance,greed ect. So as much as I want to switch off I simply can’t it’s in my DNA !!!
I can't afford to take a break from reality like this. Both financially and because so much of whats been happening the past year seems to effect myself & my community dailt. I'm lucky to get a 30 min walk on my weekends off. This frustrated me while I value your opinions.
This is exactly what we cannot do at this fraught time in our history. We can take a break for an afternoon or a day. We can make sure we put MORE into our days than only the “news” and the crises that are happening. But we don’t have the luxury of tuning our for a month or two —- What our country, and these crises, need to resolution is our attention and our action. Not our closed eyes and minds.
Thanks ffor the “advice,” but it is counterproductive for the needs of our country and our culture.
I certainly understand your journey. But give us some credit, we're aware & intelligent enough to rest & recuperate as needed, something we've all done before, not just in this decade or the past 10 years, whether it's instinctive or deliberate.
Had you given a thought to a heads up that you're going radio silent? Many people do just that, saying out loud (or on social media) "I'm taking a break to recharge"? If you'd listen, it's pretty common.
Had you given a thought to those who supported you via paid annual subscription and how to make it right?
Most of us don't have the luxury of a 6 month hiatus to unplug, and I for one absolutely cannot take a break from speaking up and speaking out when we face such enormous challenges to the fate of our country and to our way of life. Check back with me in 50 years when the things you hold dear and are worth fighting for are issues you still have to fight again and again! I'll take a rest when I'm dead, now get out of my way, I have work to do!
Oh and btw, have you considered streamlining your media avenues, like why are you still on the that cesspool X?
Strive for better balance-always. Less phone, more self-care-always. Tune out the dictatorship- no, no, no. Too important. Read, watch without submersing oneself, yes, but dont disconnect. You may need to act quickly, or at the very least offer informed knowledge, understanding and support to fellow citizens.
Will agree somewhat it’s great to get outside, do some walking or running connect with your surroundings, the outside air, sun on your face and even have that bitter cold wind hit your face like a slap. To expand our horizons devouring literature and even taking in some movie that was so regarded as good, but some may have just missed the points. Especially the face time with family because time marches on and if you don’t look up from a screen you miss life, it’s not a dress rehearsal you get one ticket on this ride.
While I respect your opinion of stepping away from the “doom scrolling” and the addiction that to absorb as much as each of our bandwidth can take on. Will say staying informed is crucial in my opinion. Expanding the reading from individuals on Substack that give you a perspective you may not be attuned too. Those individuals may be economists who give you thoughts. Historians, who have researched more than yourself, and people who have legal, political backgrounds that may put a thought in your mind to do your own research.
Believe ignorance is not bliss. It leads to a reality that often leads to negative consequences, missed opportunities, and prevents true happiness, as knowledge, even when difficult, allows for growth, problem-solving, and authentic understanding, ultimately leading to a better life than remaining unaware of problems or flaws. Saw this with my Dad. He became ignorant outside of the realm of Fox propaganda. Yes he was in his 80’s and what became entertainment morphed him into something different.
Even when away from the news of the day, he viewed the world, reality differently. I am aware he voted for Trump two times. He passed away in June 2024, and would win a bet that he would have selected him a third time. While my Dad a very intelligent, caring and loving man, a wonderful father, husband and special beyond belief. He was also what I would consider Conservative. Like a Ronald Reagan conservative and he would still be ignorant enough to believe the lies and falsehoods. It was hard to get through to him to prove the truth ten times over versus believing the lie once.
Again, respect your decision to step away however am more on the side of what I read back in 2018. Staying informed is a social obligation. Believe that ignorance has gotten where we currently are dealing with in our reality. That we all have a responsibility to know as much as possible about national and global events and to broaden our perspectives. The votes and non-political actions of informed people are crucial to changing the outcomes of what we may decide upon when we use our civic duty in voting.
Ignorance is not bliss: Staying informed is a social obligation
I'm back too! I just HAD to remove myself from the noise to save my sanity and blood pressure! So I became a "mole" during November and December....refusing to absorb news or opinion that was poisoning my soul. I live in TN which is sickening enough. I still am absent from Facebook and haven't missed it, never joined Twitter, but now I'm back to Substack and BlueSky...slowly. Hang in there, Tristan. I, for one, enjoy reading your thoughts!
This is not a dig. I completely understand where you're coming from
But I'm sorry, I have to disagree. Strongly. The reason why we're in the mess we're in is precisely because so many people in America have tuned out from Politics, because they've chosen the blissful ignorance you so eloquently described. I fully get it. The disappointments, the corruption, the lies. It all eats at you. But that's exactly the point. To make us apathetic, cynical and nihilistic. That way only those willing to partake stay and power accrues to them to use as they desire.
No. What we need is a surge of people like us. Those willing to fight for justice and accountability. To overwhelm the rot. The problem is that there are so few of us in the fight at any given moment that we must each do the work of a small army to make up for all those who have tuned out. The answer isn't for some of us to drop out, but to inspire others to join the fight, especially at this moment.
We can do this, let's go!
I hope Tristan Snell reads your reply and responds to it. It is exactly what I was thinking while reading. I need someone to address your points before I will feel comfortable being one of those going happily, blithely through life.
You were missed! Beyond grateful for this open, accessible and completely relatable piece. I spend more time with my shrink talking about how to compartmentalize the politics around us all instead of getting to the internal purpose of therapy - ( lifelong relationships with gaslighters/bullies…hence the over reaction to our current administration ). Thank you Tristan. I take your piece as wisdom I will follow. Now doesn’t seem the time for a break, but maybe a shut window now and again just to not feel completely depleted in hope for humanity as a whole. You, Robert Hubble, HCR - getting us through. We are not alone. Have to believe in this very Star Wars moment, the Resistance will endure and eventually, rise up to topple the most crooked regime in my lifetime.
Do you people think our forefathers got to lollygag around feeling sorry for themselves that the British were sooo much better trained/equipped/more numerous than they or that they got a broken fingernail so couldn’t possibly go do worthy battle until healed and in psychological equilibrium? Oh, puhlease.
As the Army taught in WWII, “You do what you have to do. You can cry about it LATER.”
Or, more briefly, “Buck Up!”
That's all fine and good and I would applaud you on your digital detox. But you solicited contributions to your substack right before you disappeared. I paid you $50 and
I got nothing for my money and was essentially conned. Not good!
Whilst I agree with the premise and I am in UK so I guess you’d think that to a degree I’m not so entrenched in the daily horror that you are all living out. I do have an American D/in-law and a sone with US citizenship plus a US Uk granddaughter. The problem is as bad as your lives are and I don’t say that lightly! I’m of an age when I remember my parents,my uncles,my grandfather all fighting in WW2. It was instilled in me just as reading and writing was that I should be aware of how wars start. Be they civil war or any other also I think being a European seems to give us a different perspective on dictatorship and fascism after all we have seen plenty of it.
I fear greatly that one of the tragic reasons Trump has survived to the point whereby he is a threat to America 🇺🇸 and indeed the world is maybe because of apathy amongst a few other attributes to like ignorance,greed ect. So as much as I want to switch off I simply can’t it’s in my DNA !!!
Amen agree, balance is key. Welcome
I can't afford to take a break from reality like this. Both financially and because so much of whats been happening the past year seems to effect myself & my community dailt. I'm lucky to get a 30 min walk on my weekends off. This frustrated me while I value your opinions.
This is exactly what we cannot do at this fraught time in our history. We can take a break for an afternoon or a day. We can make sure we put MORE into our days than only the “news” and the crises that are happening. But we don’t have the luxury of tuning our for a month or two —- What our country, and these crises, need to resolution is our attention and our action. Not our closed eyes and minds.
Thanks ffor the “advice,” but it is counterproductive for the needs of our country and our culture.
Good for you. Happy you are back. Yes, let’s be THOUGHTFUL about all of this, and refreshed to make good and right decisions.
Let’s build a good OPPOSITION party, not just a resistance one. Let’s fix this. Always forward.
…. I’ve wondered what happen. Eloquently written! thank you for sharing and your advice on saving
what’s left of my sanity!
I certainly understand your journey. But give us some credit, we're aware & intelligent enough to rest & recuperate as needed, something we've all done before, not just in this decade or the past 10 years, whether it's instinctive or deliberate.
Had you given a thought to a heads up that you're going radio silent? Many people do just that, saying out loud (or on social media) "I'm taking a break to recharge"? If you'd listen, it's pretty common.
Had you given a thought to those who supported you via paid annual subscription and how to make it right?
Most of us don't have the luxury of a 6 month hiatus to unplug, and I for one absolutely cannot take a break from speaking up and speaking out when we face such enormous challenges to the fate of our country and to our way of life. Check back with me in 50 years when the things you hold dear and are worth fighting for are issues you still have to fight again and again! I'll take a rest when I'm dead, now get out of my way, I have work to do!
Oh and btw, have you considered streamlining your media avenues, like why are you still on the that cesspool X?
Strive for better balance-always. Less phone, more self-care-always. Tune out the dictatorship- no, no, no. Too important. Read, watch without submersing oneself, yes, but dont disconnect. You may need to act quickly, or at the very least offer informed knowledge, understanding and support to fellow citizens.
Glad you're back. Some of us never left.
Will agree somewhat it’s great to get outside, do some walking or running connect with your surroundings, the outside air, sun on your face and even have that bitter cold wind hit your face like a slap. To expand our horizons devouring literature and even taking in some movie that was so regarded as good, but some may have just missed the points. Especially the face time with family because time marches on and if you don’t look up from a screen you miss life, it’s not a dress rehearsal you get one ticket on this ride.
While I respect your opinion of stepping away from the “doom scrolling” and the addiction that to absorb as much as each of our bandwidth can take on. Will say staying informed is crucial in my opinion. Expanding the reading from individuals on Substack that give you a perspective you may not be attuned too. Those individuals may be economists who give you thoughts. Historians, who have researched more than yourself, and people who have legal, political backgrounds that may put a thought in your mind to do your own research.
Believe ignorance is not bliss. It leads to a reality that often leads to negative consequences, missed opportunities, and prevents true happiness, as knowledge, even when difficult, allows for growth, problem-solving, and authentic understanding, ultimately leading to a better life than remaining unaware of problems or flaws. Saw this with my Dad. He became ignorant outside of the realm of Fox propaganda. Yes he was in his 80’s and what became entertainment morphed him into something different.
Even when away from the news of the day, he viewed the world, reality differently. I am aware he voted for Trump two times. He passed away in June 2024, and would win a bet that he would have selected him a third time. While my Dad a very intelligent, caring and loving man, a wonderful father, husband and special beyond belief. He was also what I would consider Conservative. Like a Ronald Reagan conservative and he would still be ignorant enough to believe the lies and falsehoods. It was hard to get through to him to prove the truth ten times over versus believing the lie once.
Again, respect your decision to step away however am more on the side of what I read back in 2018. Staying informed is a social obligation. Believe that ignorance has gotten where we currently are dealing with in our reality. That we all have a responsibility to know as much as possible about national and global events and to broaden our perspectives. The votes and non-political actions of informed people are crucial to changing the outcomes of what we may decide upon when we use our civic duty in voting.
Ignorance is not bliss: Staying informed is a social obligation
https://theaggie.org/2018/05/13/ignorance-is-not-bliss-staying-informed-is-a-social-obligation/
I'm back too! I just HAD to remove myself from the noise to save my sanity and blood pressure! So I became a "mole" during November and December....refusing to absorb news or opinion that was poisoning my soul. I live in TN which is sickening enough. I still am absent from Facebook and haven't missed it, never joined Twitter, but now I'm back to Substack and BlueSky...slowly. Hang in there, Tristan. I, for one, enjoy reading your thoughts!
thank you ❤️