Hello, Lovely Soul Drop! I’m sorry I didn’t write on Wednesday. I’m writing now even though I feel super sick because I really want to make my newsletter grow. I don’t have a lot of energy, so I should use it wisely.
The Internet, and humans in general, easily fall into extremism. One of the strongest emotions we have is rage. What are the news, videos, and shows that get the more attention? The ones that make people angry. We get mad, we share it, and we feed into the fire. That has been me over and over. I’ve watched so many channels that all talk about the same topic and they all rant for hours, and I kept on watching. Why? Yes, we SHOULD be paying attention to relevant topics even though they make us angry. I’m not asking you to be blissfully ignorant, avoid anything that upsets you, and just pretend to live in a faery tale. I’m reminding myself that although getting informed is great; getting obsessed with the topics is not helping my health (mental, spiritual or physical).
Yeah, wokeness (as in blaming straight white males for everything, never taking accountability, and obsessing over identity politics) is annoying. So are the religious fanatics that would gladly hit you over the head with their holy books. Extremism is annoying, dangerous, and we shouldn’t ignore how our society is becoming polarized more and more. Yet, why spend 24/7 talking about it without building on anything? I want to write various books, I’m beginning to study again, I have jobs to complete, and I want to spend more time strengthening my artistic skills. I love learning about all topics: history, psychology, biology, philosophy, literature, and so much more. I love anime, I love cats, I love nature, I love video games, I love making friends, and there’s much more that I love than what I hate! I need to put my energy back on those things.
I will still work to bring the middle ground across different platforms, and I will continue to point out the double standards, the hypocrisy, the extremism, and the dangers of echo-chambers and our current situation on social media, pop culture, and society. I want to be louder than the radicals. I want to make other people who stand in the middle, don’t like tribalism, and just wish to find balance feel seen and less lonely. However, I have to remind myself I still have dreams, passions, and a life outside of that. My time and energy are not limitless, so I have to remind myself how precious they are.
Good stories require a deeply flawed protagonist, and that’s great news for all of us because I don’t know about you…but I’m deeply flawed. I think I have several fatal flaws, so I’m in for a great character arc and a compelling story!! We’re the protagonists, the side characters, the extras, and even the antagonists in a thousand stories. I have to keep my eyes on my North Star, on my goal, and on my destinations because otherwise I’m just wandering around aimlessly. I have to give strength to those things I want to see more of. It’s sort of like adjusting the algorithmn in your life. The more you click on something the more the algorithmn will show it to you, and your brain works the same way. I always have compliments to give everyone because I trained my brain to see the positives on anyone I interact with. I can do this for other things!
Here are some other newsletters you can give strength to:
Liath LaVerne’s substack:
Sean Hill’s substack:
and The Critical Fairy Blog:
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope this inspires you to redirect your time and energy in a wiser way. Our time is limited, so let’s make the most of it!
With much love,
Belle
Glad I finally got round to reading this. Great post, lovely shade of pink on the Substack, and thanks for the shout-out!
I've been considering doing a post myself, about how I know both 'tras' and 'terfs' and how, because of how selective I am with the people I spend time with, none of them have found themselves being unfollowed by me in recent days. It is entirely possible that the smart ones among us could get along, even if we disagree on big things.
If you haven't heard, a trans girl was murdered here in the UK and everyone has decided to use the person's death to further their own deluded politics. What makes me sick is the people I know on the left have gone even further, and the women who simply don't want males in their prisons, toilets, or changing rooms are being called all sorts of names for it.
But none of them seem to have paused to say anything kind. That's what gets me.
And I'm going to say something controversial now.
I believe it is down to their intelligence. I honestly believe giving internet access to people who are not smart was a terrible idea. I'm all for being inclusive, but maybe we need an IQ test before being allowed on social media... Just a thought.
But that wouldn't sell as many shit-yourself-thin smoothies from influencers, would it?
;)