| The "neo-stoic" crowd would tell you to reduce your circle of interest as closely as possible to your circle of control. In many situation, this means realizing that you have little control most things (which is depressing), and then take the logical step of not following the news altogether. This becomes a lot trickier when the news is in you "center of concern" (I'm trying to find the best translation for "center of emmerdement".) For example, regarding COVID-19: you have zero effect on whether the next strain of the virus will mutate in the bloodstream of some farraway foreigner, even if they were lucky enough to get all the vaccines and treatments and everything. Yet, when the variant will hit, you'll be hit too, and you'll get the restrictions and lockdowns, and anti-restrictions protests, and anti-vaxxers point of view, and fringe medical advice that might not end up being fringy at all, etc... Should you care ? Should you not care ? Also, elections. We have the luxury of letting candidates explain the same world in completely opposite terms - and we have to choose which one is less wrong. Or less lying. In the end, I suppose the only thing in your control is to let time expose the most blatant liars, avoid trusting them too much ; and, most importantly, DO NOT LIE TOO MUCH yoursefl. This might involves keeping eyes opened, eyebrows raised, and mouth shut. Not a very popular stance - but, hey, they're neo-stoicians, not tiktok influencers. |