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How do you be aware of major issues in the world and locally without becoming deeply depressed and cynical? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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As someone in the US it’s so easy to see so many depressing issues from the ravages of capitalism, to war, imperialism, and genocide. How can one care about these issues and hope for change without allowing themselves to be affected mentally?

I’ve been considering this for the past week, connecting it with Buddhist compassion towards the world and a need for mindfulness. But it’s so easy to fall into emotionlessness.

I’ve also thought through the world has always had issues and though some are getting much worse some are getting better.

I have gone to counseling before but they just make it an individual problem when it’s the world.

Edit: doesn’t have to be US centric. Just I’m writing from that pov

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The reason I singled out leftists is that over the last couple decades, in the ideological struggle between socialists and capitalists... the capitalists pretty much won. There are are still some holdouts around the world but in general leftists are left on the outside looking in as the capitalist-led world grows more prosperous (and lots of bad things too, I'm not trying to play it off as capitalist good socialist bad). But in their position, all leftists can really do is criticize the status quo. And, again, there are plenty of valid criticisms to make, but because they are removed from power leftists can't do very much "look at the good things socialism is doing," it's 99% "look at all the bad things capitalism is doing". At least in the US/Western Europe.

The right-wing can at least say things like "the economy is doing well" and "technology is advancing due to [Company]'s breakthrough" in between fear-mongering about immigration.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ah, guess we've just hit different perspectives in life. I live in the rural south of the US. So radio, local news, politicians, and social conversations all basically skew either religious or right-wing (often times mixed). The fear-mongering is constant. One of the reasons why I was so discouraged by the DNC this last election cycle; they lead with fear mongering lately, which I was already inundated with.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 18 hours ago

Yeah I guess you're right. Both sides have been pretty...apocalyptic lately.