Day 7 of the 'no news' experiment

Subversion!

I have recognised that part of me really wants to catch up on the news. So far, I have for the most part been able to resist the siren call of the Today program on Radio 4 or the purchase of a newspaper, but it is suprising just how strong a hold the instant news media has on my thoughts.

It's as if I feel I may be missing out on something. (Missing out on by upset with politics or world events, that does not seem to make much sense.)

Actually I think it may be more to do with our perception that if something is 'on the news' we are somehow involved with it, that we can be part of the grand debate.

But the reality of course is that very few of us are part of that debate. I may write to my MP but does anyone else in Parliament listen? Probably not. I can make a change with a vote every few years but what about the time in between?

So the logical conclusion I am begining to come to is that I (and perhaps many other people) am just a little bit delusional.

What?

Delusional in the sense that in the past I have seen the act of watching and listening to the news as being involved in 'the process'; as being engaged as a citizen. The truth is rather more humdrum, listening to the the news is not being engaged with the process. If this were the case our two cats would be politicians considering the amount of time they spend curled up near the TV.

So new choices become apparent, I could join a political party and get 'engaged in the process' that way. Not bloody likely; too many compromises to accomodate the mass of people in a party.

I could engage in more local politics but I have a feeling that this would rapidly be dragged into party factionalism.

Or (and this feels like the right approach) choose who and what I engage with and limit what I do to the places and things where I can make a measureable change.

If you or I complain about something (Politicians for example) we can only do so because we have a idea of how things could be done better. Complaining without being able to change anything is a recipe for frustration and feelings of impotence.

Since our complaints are for the most part ignored, we are destined to put ourselves continually into that bubbling pot of frustration, impotence and discontent.

It's sounds obvious but if you can't change things you still have choices:

Move away from what you don't like (emigrate, change location or situation)

Put up with what you don't like (shrug your shoulders and carry on)

Change your perception of what you don't like (Yes the situation is rubbish but it's not my rubbish)

Ultimately you can only change what's local to you. If you are a Prime Minister or a President, local may mean a whole nation, or it may just mean what you grow in your back garden. Trying to change anything else puts you back into that bubbling pot and that place does not allow us to grow, get stronger, develop or change.