Buzzkiller

A well meaning friend I’ve not been much in touch with recently reached out today — on WhatsApp — and expressed concern about my health. I was a little surprised, of course.

He then proceeded to connect that to my health with my posts —

“It must be exhausting railing at the world all the time. For everything from civic apathy, to religious fundamentalism, to environment to god knows what else.

I hope you do take time out to be thankful for all the good things in this world. And indeed, in your life.”

I assured him I do, of course. And that I just speak what many see and feel. And that I wanted our kids to have a shot at the same “good things in this world” too.

He imagined I was “wearing myself out yelling on social media”. And that my posts were being a major buzzkill.

“I don’t want my buzz killed :p”

I responded that I didn’t want my kids killed :D

“Throw some positivity out into the world more often. Laments get real old real fast. And don’t inspire any action.”

The last bit got me to write this.

I’d rather DO positive stuff in real life — and I’ve been trying doing a fair bit of that on the ground — and bring attention in my posts and messages to the need to do more of it, and to what’s broken. The opposite — being massively positive and cheerful online while in their day jobs and real avatars continuing to contribute in the usual ways to the usual destruction of the commons as we continue to pretend there’s nothing wrong/nothing we can do/no point in thinking about it — has not gotten us very far. If we were collectively alive to the situation and had managed to change course, of course this would be irrelevant and unnecessary.

He also mentioned he stayed away from this else he wouldn’t be able to “focus” and “get anything done”.

Imagine all the focus and productivity we’ve brought — even the most intelligent folks — to the wrong problems, to ideas and innovation and work that has made things worse for us all, and for our kids, over time. Practically nobody has the space or time in the life and schedules to ask the questions that confront us all, and to find answers to them at various levels including in the work we do. Of course, no one is responsible for this, but everyone is.

For now, I’d rather kill the buzz that keeps us glued to distractions and business-as-usual.

Sorry, man.