I’ve been avoiding all election news for the past month because it was really stressing me out. And because the election is all that the general news sites talk about, I’ve been effectively avoiding all news for the past month, period. I feel kind of good in that I don’t have to feel what the media wants me to feel but I also feel bad because I’m oblivious and being intentionally ignorant. I only intend to do this until after the election then read the hell out of everything, but a part of me wonders what it would be like if I just stopped refreshing the New York Times every hour and did something else. The obvious lesson here is moderation. But there’s more.
Why am I even stressing out? Looking back, for all the attention I’m paying to this election and past elections, I haven’t gotten much in return. Obama didn’t do anything to change my everyday life. Neither did Bush. I doubt Trump or Clinton will either. I, addicted to narrative, want elections to be pivotal, to matter, to change things up, to show me something new, but the more times I’ve gone through this, the more times they’ve fallen short. After the noise, nothing really happens.