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.
Understand, but I don't think he's telling us to back away or be apathetic. We, the people who are reading this, are the people who are heavily involved and aware of what is happening. We are the ones who are actively fighting for justice and accountability. He is speaking to us. Tristan is just suggesting that we replenish ourselves by taking a break. I believe we come back stronger when we do. Even short breaks.
Here's the key point of my disagreement with Tristan.
Yes, there is a part of everything that is going on now that is a long-term project, which will take decades, if not centuries to resolve, all of which relate to very high levels of how we need to be organized as a society. That's fair.
However, what is happening right now, to name a few:
- ICE fully invading Minneapolis.
- Trump talking about taking over Greenland and threatening NATO allies.
- Trump invading Venezuela and taking Maduro.
- The way the DOJ is covering up the Epstein Files while blatantly breaking the law.
- The way the DOJ is starting all these frivolous investigations against Dems while claiming absolute immunity for ICE criminals.
All of these things are not part of that long term project that will be here later. The country is amidst a major crisis, and this is not the time for anyone to take a break, or if you must, try to grab two people that can take your spot while you're out.
This is an all hands on deck moment. If we fail to figure out a way to contain this mess, we're looking at living under a Christo-fascist regime with the most powerful military arsenal in all of mankind by orders of magnitude.
Back in 45, there was someone who could defeat the Nazis. Today, there isn't anybody who can defeat us.
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.”
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 !!!
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!
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 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.
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?
Thanks. I get it. We need to let ourselves breathe. I don't think everyone's 'break' is going to look the same -- I'm a much smaller player in this game than you are -- but your larger point about pacing oneself for the sake of remembering what we're fighting for is more than valid. I anticipate a medical leave coming up soon, followed at some point by retirement later this year. Energies will shift, time will open up, and hopefully some new thoughts and experiences will happen. Bless you for all that you are doing.
Dear Tristan, I want you to know that the last 10, going on 11 years have been a living (or dying) nightmare for our country! I left "X" or as I say, Twitler because of the amoral and corrupt Muskrat! I left Facebook and Threads as well! I read Substack and Youtube posts of people I know I can trust for the news, you know, THE FACTS! Our brothers and sisters on this site are fighting for our democracy and that isn't something we take lightly, not anymore! We can not trust the enemy from within to "do the right thing." WE ARE the right thing. Our voices, our choices, and our not so common good! It is not about getting back to it later because later will be too late! He who hesitates is lost, remember?! My love to you all and my prayers for our country every minute of every day!
Loved this article, very insightful....thank you 🙏💙🕊️
You're absolutely right too. I'm finding I have to start deleting some apps and subscriptions, too much "fire hose" of information syndrome. It's getting overwhelming.
Well, that explains why seeing your name once again reappear made me realize you had been absent. No slight intended.
You have a powerful voice, and write quite eloquently. You have a keen mind and a great observational nature - and apparently some pretty strong walking legs as well! Being from the west coast I had, at times, wondered if one could go from borough to borough, easily, in a car or on a bike, but never had I imagined traversing them on foot! It seems like something that should be on everyone's bucket list.
Of course, it feels better to disengage, check out, take a break or otherwise retreat from the ever- present flow of increasingly disturbing news on substack and elsewhere. I liken it to deciding to skip Thanksgiving at Aunt Suzie's and Uncle Bob's for all of the pre- scheduled arguments about why we always have to wait until Eric and his family finally arrive with the appetizers, that are no longer necessary, and why Cousin Dave never gives up hoping his favorite football team will pull it off though they can never seem to pull their heads out of their, well, you get the picture - and all the plane travel and the crowds and the seasonal flu almost always contracted mid-air that lays you up for days to weeks once you're home. And though you thoroughly enjoyed not missing all of that frenzy for a change, going back the next year WILL happen, because family is family, for all that comes with it.
You seem like an in-for-a-penny, in-for-a-pound kind of guy given the kind of goals you set for yourself. However, we can choose to limit our doses of media. We can watch it in bursts or settle in for an hour and get a fuller picture. I agree with you that it is a good idea to take breaks from the non-stop flow of it, on whatever format we choose to follow, but given what's at stake, our very democracy, and knowing how either our complacency or apathy helped us to arrive at this juncture in history, I personally do not concur with the idea of letting weeks or months go by without seeing the coverage updates. There's just too much at stake. We no longer can rely on the old mainstream media to inform the masses in one cohesive broadcast. The collective voice of The People matters more than ever and the more informed and engaged we are the more likely we can spread the word and inform others. We can no longer afford to think someone else will handle it. The someone else is us.
I find that logging on to my favorite substacks once in the morning for an hour or so and once again, similarly, in the evening suits me best, but given a particularly active news day I might burrow in a little more than that. I don't have a big number of subscribers, but I figure someone somewhere is out there listening to my take on things and might be moved to restack it elsewhere and further circulate what I have to say. It creates a sense of community and that's another benefit to our psyche in these times, and I guess it's my way of supporting that.
My wish would be that we all find ways to stay politically and civically engaged, and yet realize this cannot be just a trend that stops after this president's term. It needs to be a new way of living - awake, aware and actively engaged in everyday civic affairs. We need to know how the three branches of government (are supposed to) work, the bipartisan makeup of Congress, who the movers and shakers are and what they sound like, how to let our voices be heard, what threatens our democracy, what our Constitutional rights are, why we should run for office at the local, state and federal levels, what are interests are abroad, how technology has both helped and hurt us, how the economy works in relation to jobs, manufacturing, tax tiers, debt and trade, what is happening with AI and it's impact on us, where our children's schools are nationally and internationally ranked, how our elected officials are elected, how big PAC money and lobbyists impact our everyday lives, and how Big Pharma, Big Ag, and the Industrial Complex are not just "buzz" words. You get the idea.
We can no longer afford to proxy our role in this republic to anyone else. I feel WE, The People, must stay engaged on some level, regularly, throughout our lifetimes and teach our children to be independent thinkers as we do. This needs to become part of our everyday lives. For this democracy to be a true representation of a cross-section of America WE must all care enough to provide educated feedback, to build policies, and not wait to have kneejerk reactions to them. Perhaps it does need to be one of our new food groups, with one serving a day of "feed."
This government is OURS: OF, BY and FOR The People. That's not intended to be a passive platitude. I say, WE stay interested, and impactful, or we find ourselves wondering just how we got here - again.
A friend once said- There's a time for everything.
It's good to stand back, get off whatever treadmill we're on, and certainly social media...get perspective, and fill your soul again. You come back a more complete, more fulfilled person, with more to offer yourself, and more to offer those you love. even more to offer your 'job'.
Even if you can't take a long break, as not many of us can.
A walk in nature, silencing the human world every now and then, is grounding, and takes us places in our heart and soul that really matter- or at the very least remind us that there is a real world out there, a world without apps, a world without social media, a world without Siri, ....
I suppose I'd call it balance- not a bad word. Tough to get there with what we're all facing now. But crucial for our well being, and, it will help replenish us for the long fight ahead.
To follow your instinct into a journey for elevated inner peace and enlightenment as well as to disconnect from the noise for a while, was brilliant! Thank you for your transparency and the encouragement to do the inner work(self care). I look forward to my much needed journey and the benefits.🪷⚘️
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.
Understand, but I don't think he's telling us to back away or be apathetic. We, the people who are reading this, are the people who are heavily involved and aware of what is happening. We are the ones who are actively fighting for justice and accountability. He is speaking to us. Tristan is just suggesting that we replenish ourselves by taking a break. I believe we come back stronger when we do. Even short breaks.
Here's the key point of my disagreement with Tristan.
Yes, there is a part of everything that is going on now that is a long-term project, which will take decades, if not centuries to resolve, all of which relate to very high levels of how we need to be organized as a society. That's fair.
However, what is happening right now, to name a few:
- ICE fully invading Minneapolis.
- Trump talking about taking over Greenland and threatening NATO allies.
- Trump invading Venezuela and taking Maduro.
- The way the DOJ is covering up the Epstein Files while blatantly breaking the law.
- The way the DOJ is starting all these frivolous investigations against Dems while claiming absolute immunity for ICE criminals.
All of these things are not part of that long term project that will be here later. The country is amidst a major crisis, and this is not the time for anyone to take a break, or if you must, try to grab two people that can take your spot while you're out.
This is an all hands on deck moment. If we fail to figure out a way to contain this mess, we're looking at living under a Christo-fascist regime with the most powerful military arsenal in all of mankind by orders of magnitude.
Back in 45, there was someone who could defeat the Nazis. Today, there isn't anybody who can defeat us.
Echo!
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!”
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 !!!
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!
Amen agree, balance is key. Welcome
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 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.
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?
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!
Thanks. I get it. We need to let ourselves breathe. I don't think everyone's 'break' is going to look the same -- I'm a much smaller player in this game than you are -- but your larger point about pacing oneself for the sake of remembering what we're fighting for is more than valid. I anticipate a medical leave coming up soon, followed at some point by retirement later this year. Energies will shift, time will open up, and hopefully some new thoughts and experiences will happen. Bless you for all that you are doing.
Dear Tristan, I want you to know that the last 10, going on 11 years have been a living (or dying) nightmare for our country! I left "X" or as I say, Twitler because of the amoral and corrupt Muskrat! I left Facebook and Threads as well! I read Substack and Youtube posts of people I know I can trust for the news, you know, THE FACTS! Our brothers and sisters on this site are fighting for our democracy and that isn't something we take lightly, not anymore! We can not trust the enemy from within to "do the right thing." WE ARE the right thing. Our voices, our choices, and our not so common good! It is not about getting back to it later because later will be too late! He who hesitates is lost, remember?! My love to you all and my prayers for our country every minute of every day!
Loved this article, very insightful....thank you 🙏💙🕊️
You're absolutely right too. I'm finding I have to start deleting some apps and subscriptions, too much "fire hose" of information syndrome. It's getting overwhelming.
Take care out there, it's getting dangerous.
Well, that explains why seeing your name once again reappear made me realize you had been absent. No slight intended.
You have a powerful voice, and write quite eloquently. You have a keen mind and a great observational nature - and apparently some pretty strong walking legs as well! Being from the west coast I had, at times, wondered if one could go from borough to borough, easily, in a car or on a bike, but never had I imagined traversing them on foot! It seems like something that should be on everyone's bucket list.
Of course, it feels better to disengage, check out, take a break or otherwise retreat from the ever- present flow of increasingly disturbing news on substack and elsewhere. I liken it to deciding to skip Thanksgiving at Aunt Suzie's and Uncle Bob's for all of the pre- scheduled arguments about why we always have to wait until Eric and his family finally arrive with the appetizers, that are no longer necessary, and why Cousin Dave never gives up hoping his favorite football team will pull it off though they can never seem to pull their heads out of their, well, you get the picture - and all the plane travel and the crowds and the seasonal flu almost always contracted mid-air that lays you up for days to weeks once you're home. And though you thoroughly enjoyed not missing all of that frenzy for a change, going back the next year WILL happen, because family is family, for all that comes with it.
You seem like an in-for-a-penny, in-for-a-pound kind of guy given the kind of goals you set for yourself. However, we can choose to limit our doses of media. We can watch it in bursts or settle in for an hour and get a fuller picture. I agree with you that it is a good idea to take breaks from the non-stop flow of it, on whatever format we choose to follow, but given what's at stake, our very democracy, and knowing how either our complacency or apathy helped us to arrive at this juncture in history, I personally do not concur with the idea of letting weeks or months go by without seeing the coverage updates. There's just too much at stake. We no longer can rely on the old mainstream media to inform the masses in one cohesive broadcast. The collective voice of The People matters more than ever and the more informed and engaged we are the more likely we can spread the word and inform others. We can no longer afford to think someone else will handle it. The someone else is us.
I find that logging on to my favorite substacks once in the morning for an hour or so and once again, similarly, in the evening suits me best, but given a particularly active news day I might burrow in a little more than that. I don't have a big number of subscribers, but I figure someone somewhere is out there listening to my take on things and might be moved to restack it elsewhere and further circulate what I have to say. It creates a sense of community and that's another benefit to our psyche in these times, and I guess it's my way of supporting that.
My wish would be that we all find ways to stay politically and civically engaged, and yet realize this cannot be just a trend that stops after this president's term. It needs to be a new way of living - awake, aware and actively engaged in everyday civic affairs. We need to know how the three branches of government (are supposed to) work, the bipartisan makeup of Congress, who the movers and shakers are and what they sound like, how to let our voices be heard, what threatens our democracy, what our Constitutional rights are, why we should run for office at the local, state and federal levels, what are interests are abroad, how technology has both helped and hurt us, how the economy works in relation to jobs, manufacturing, tax tiers, debt and trade, what is happening with AI and it's impact on us, where our children's schools are nationally and internationally ranked, how our elected officials are elected, how big PAC money and lobbyists impact our everyday lives, and how Big Pharma, Big Ag, and the Industrial Complex are not just "buzz" words. You get the idea.
We can no longer afford to proxy our role in this republic to anyone else. I feel WE, The People, must stay engaged on some level, regularly, throughout our lifetimes and teach our children to be independent thinkers as we do. This needs to become part of our everyday lives. For this democracy to be a true representation of a cross-section of America WE must all care enough to provide educated feedback, to build policies, and not wait to have kneejerk reactions to them. Perhaps it does need to be one of our new food groups, with one serving a day of "feed."
This government is OURS: OF, BY and FOR The People. That's not intended to be a passive platitude. I say, WE stay interested, and impactful, or we find ourselves wondering just how we got here - again.
Thank you!
A friend once said- There's a time for everything.
It's good to stand back, get off whatever treadmill we're on, and certainly social media...get perspective, and fill your soul again. You come back a more complete, more fulfilled person, with more to offer yourself, and more to offer those you love. even more to offer your 'job'.
Even if you can't take a long break, as not many of us can.
A walk in nature, silencing the human world every now and then, is grounding, and takes us places in our heart and soul that really matter- or at the very least remind us that there is a real world out there, a world without apps, a world without social media, a world without Siri, ....
I suppose I'd call it balance- not a bad word. Tough to get there with what we're all facing now. But crucial for our well being, and, it will help replenish us for the long fight ahead.
Thank you for your post.
Tristan,
To follow your instinct into a journey for elevated inner peace and enlightenment as well as to disconnect from the noise for a while, was brilliant! Thank you for your transparency and the encouragement to do the inner work(self care). I look forward to my much needed journey and the benefits.🪷⚘️