There has been a lot of election and political news lately, in case you haven’t noticed. And for those who thought this would die down after the election, I’m sorry.
Is there an end? Probably not. Print news is dying. Online news sites struggle with competition from Netflix and a thousand other streaming services as well as cat videos on YouTube. The only way the news media can compete with the next season of Stranger Things is to be more dramatic, more polarizing and more intense.
So no, in my opinion, this only gets worse.
Quote of the Day
I was listening to the Motley Fool Money podcast a while back and the guest said that: if you read the news, this is the worst time to be alive, but if you read history, it’s the greatest time to be alive.
Maybe Not Tune-Out, But Change Focus
I’ve gotten in the habit of reading the news each morning and sometimes before bed…ok and sometimes during the day. Having a computer in your pocket that is more powerful than the one used to guide the first space mission gives us the ability to tune-in anytime we have a free moment. This is a blessing and a curse.
I declared defeat many months ago. I limited news to about 10 minutes per day and I read other stuff instead.
Motley Fool Podcast
I love the Motley Fool Money Podcast. I listen regularly to hear what major companies are doing, a run down of earnings, and the podcast also has regular guests. This is where I first found saving guru Clark Howard and Nell Minow, who writes movie reviews as the Movie Mom, and is also a leader on corporate governance. I love the Nell Minow interviews because she switches seamlessly between the two topics and is as excited about the new Toy Story movie as she is about cleaning up the boardroom. Fascinating.
I listen at least a couple of times a week. There has been almost no discussion of the election or of any government officials.
There are podcasts on every subject under the sun. Try one.
History
I have found that history in small doses is pretty interesting.
I hated history is school and any time I’ve picked up a biography of Alexander Hamilton or Teddy Roosevelt or J. Edgar Hoover, I have discovered that the author has about 10 pages of interesting material, but needs to fill a 500 page book. I suspect the authors are paid by the number of words or the weight of the book. Snore.
However, these are fascinating people who had huge roles in shaping our country. Thanks to the Duck Duck Go search engine (Google and I are not on speaking terms due to privacy issues) I have found videos, articles, and documentaries (often free) that tell the story much more succinctly and more interestingly.
The Library
People of my era remember the library as the place you had to go anytime you needed to write a report for school. We learned about card catalogs and the dewey decimal system and got shushed by old blue-haired librarians. Not a happy memory.
But, it turns out that libraries also have books that we might want to read. And here’s the kicker. The library has entered the 21st century so you can now do it all from the comfort of your couch.
I still had to go to a physical library to get a library card, but after. that, I signed up for Overdrive and downloaded the app. I can search for (no dewey decimal system required) titles, authors, subjects…choose books, and read via the overdrive app or via kindle. Just like a library, you borrow the title for 7, 14 or 21 days and then it is automatically returned. you never leave the couch or change out of your sweatpants.
…and Another Plug for History
Perspective.
Back to the quote about reading news v. reading history. When I read about the US Civil War, American Independence from the British, the Vietnam War, the beginnings of the CIA and the FBI, I realized that we’ve been through some pretty crazy times.
In Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, he talks about the founding of Nike and how he traveled to Japan to look into overseas production. His grandmother was terrified. Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor (American Soil!) and had killed family members and friends during WWII which was fresh in everyone’s mind. Japan was still a threat that terrified many, especially those on the west cost.
We’ve been through some tough times and persevered. And remember, during WWI, WWII, the Cuban Missile crisis and other events that tested us, we did not know the outcome. In the moment, it was terrifying.
Wrap-Up
We’re overwhelmed.
This was the most consequential election of our time according to the news media (read your history, so was 2020, 2016, and almost every other election). There is a barrage of news and the media has gotten quite good at dredging up stories that will anger us and keep us coming back for more.
Take a deep breath.
We voted (hopefully), the election is over, we’ve done our part, time for us to move on. Zoom out, keep an open mind, watch what happens to the issues that are important to us over the next year or 2 and prepare for how we’ll vote in the 2026 mid-terms.
And read some history. Our founding fathers have done a fine job crafting a constitution that has lots of protections. Read about it.
Give yourself permission to disengage a bit from current events. There are other fascinating things to read and watch.