I know that panic is a pointless feeling one should never give in to, but I am finding it increasingly hard to pretend that anything is right in the world at the moment.
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Yes but Rome took two centuries to fall. 25 years ago the West was united, victorious, prosperous, confident. And Rome was destroyed by invasions. We have done it to ourselves. That's what's so hard to bear.
Don't pretend that things are just fine; but don't let fear break you, either! Allow yourself to experience it. It does pass, and you will be stronger for it. The hubs and I are getting through one day at a time, and being grateful that we're only in a TRADE war zone (Canada).
The severe detrimental effects on those of us already afflicted with paranoia, anxiety disorder and a generally pessimistic disposition cannot be overstated!! 😱
It's totally understandable. I try to remind myself that we're evolved to focus on the negatives and that the 24 hr news cycle makes this worse. I've found it helpful to limit my time on news sites and social media and keep my mind busy with more productive things where possible.
It might sound cheesy, but writing down three things you're grateful for each evening really helps. It takes time, and sometimes it's a real struggle but I've found it worth it over the last few years.
This is not a replay of 1939. In a way much worse, because the environmental breakdown is global, catastrophic, unstoppable. We are living through the end of a civilisation. That is our fate. And it's happened so quickly. Of course we're sad, frightened!
Once a month, I treat myself to a mani pedi. It’s the one time that I have 2 to 3 hours by myself to just relax. I went the other day & felt such a sense of disconnect from the real world it just really fucked with me Like, how can I be sitting here having a manipedi when our country is burning?
Me too. If you didn't feel like that you'd probably be a pure psychopath. Being a historian concerned with complexity, nuance and facts probably turns the panic up to maximum. We'll have to look after each other in our virtual home here!
I just had to call a very close family member to make sure he had not been hit by a car in Munich. Trump is selling out Ukraine. Musk is assaulting US democracy. The German election campaign is a provincial joke.
But by all means, let us all cling on to the idea of normality.
The world is a shit show but people deal differently and some are going to keep on keeping on like everything is normal. It will hit them at some point. I think we all just need to graceful and kind to one another as we navigate difficult times.
I had a call with my dad today. Unlike you, no one is near a terror attack or any place unsafe. But we are both scholarly trained in History, politics and international relations. We just needed to exchange a bit: we are both, if not terrified, extremely worried about the coming month and years.
We feel we are living some kind of alternate reality where everyone is replaying 1933, 1936, 1938 (that was yesterday)... We all know where this leads. We are both technically boomers but we talked with the previous generation enough to know. And it's really scary.
My late grand-mother lived through WWI, WWII, the post WWII colonial wars, and the Cold War. She told me many times how it played out then. I have no intention to see my son live through this too.
People need to read history books. None of this is new. Its consequences however will be very new and very real for generations who haven’t lived it and appear not to have studied it.
What I always arrive at is –
1. we absolutely know we don‘t want to follow such a path. It‘s the path of fears, and plain and simply the wrong direction. We tend to go where we look, so, every time we glance at that path, it‘s a loud reminder to look at the way out.
2. To always keep guidance towards a solution. To look in the direction we DO want to go! And the best general orientation is the one shared with as many others around with common interests and cultural values as possible.
By the way, if you like R4, Google ”Fourble”. An astonishing archive of old BBC radio comedy, drama, documentaries etc
I’ve been laughing my head off for months, nae years, on entire runs of eg I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, Jeeves and Wooster, Dead Ringers etc. Also gone through entire A Christie etc
Europe being responsible for its own security is probably a good thing. Hope it starts a general weening off from US tech. Yes it will cost, but it will also bring jobs back. Also looks like US being the world policeman still stop and am sure India and China have something to say on that.
I get that feeling when I hear birdsong or the sound of insects, or see a butterfly. It gives me a twang of pain in my heart, because I know that when I was young there was a lot more birdsong and more insects and butterflies.
Mother Nature is winding down. This is not going to end well.
Yesterday was a turning point. I didn’t sleep last night because I feel things are changing and UK and Europe have no agency whatsoever. Depressingly it didn’t need to be this way. I worry so much for my children. But equally panic is pointless.
It’s really hard! I’ve started trying to take myself away from the news and purposefully disconnecting from devices/reconnecting with nature. It’s the only way that I don’t feel anxious about *everything*.
Everything is in a state of flux at the moment. The uncertainty is the problem. All the assumptions that governed how the world worked for the past 80+ years have vanished in a puff of smoke. But this stage will pass. And we need to act.
It’s okay to give in to it for a little while. It’s okay to feel bad when bad things are happening. We just don’t want to let panic hobble us long-term. If you need a few days to just fall apart, take ‘em. Catharsis.
it is really not OK, it is not. I am in the full rage phase, I still think that our President should talk to us about the bleak future and how we're going to make the enemy pay. It is time to apply article 7 on Hungary and Slovakia, they must not block us anymore.
I understand completely which is why #JoinTheResistance is coming. Be ready to defend democracy. We’re all getting organized (via private meetings). More info coming soon. https://youtu.be/sn9EKC9nqU4?si=dhlOICTPfXkvK7e7
You’re not alone. I try to comfort myself with the notion that we just know more, and instantly. And that bad actors were always doing their thing. But I can’t shake the feeling that we were living in a golden age with no awareness that it might end. And it’s ending. Rapidly.
We have surrendered (Yuval Harari) narratives explaining & defining society. Nations are losing coherence and definition under relentless social media pressure.
Except for in totalitarian states that stress the national narrative.
It’s not okay and nothing will be ok until R’s find their cajones. They seemed to have shriveled into their bodies never to be found. It is terrifying… breathe and stay engaged. Take breaks… we will get through…. ♥️🙏🇺🇸
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But you’re right it feels a bit stressy at the moment.
Please honor your response as an affirmation of life!
But by all means, let us all cling on to the idea of normality.
You might find some catharsis in the latest episode of @weeklyshowpodcast.bsky.social where he dissects, with former white house speaker Jen Psaki, what went wrong in the democratic party, that Trump won
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agreeing-disagreeing-with-jen-psaki/id1583132133?i=1000691767336
1. we absolutely know we don‘t want to follow such a path. It‘s the path of fears, and plain and simply the wrong direction. We tend to go where we look, so, every time we glance at that path, it‘s a loud reminder to look at the way out.
I’ve been laughing my head off for months, nae years, on entire runs of eg I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, Jeeves and Wooster, Dead Ringers etc. Also gone through entire A Christie etc
Mother Nature is winding down. This is not going to end well.
Except for in totalitarian states that stress the national narrative.