Head in the sand
Reading the news while sipping coffee in the morning isn’t a modern invention, with the Internet and technology infiltrating every pore of everyday life. This was also a thing in good old times. However, this really isn’t the best way of starting your day. Bad news lurks around every corner, both globally and locally. After all, this is what the media primarily sells.
I have to admit succumbing to this bad habit myself, which only brings additional discomfort to a plethora of existing problems. Many will probably say how it’s important to stay informed and in the loop, and that you can’t just stick your head in the sand like an ostrich. Truth is, most of what happens around us doesn’t really concern an average individual. Especially not someone like me who doesn’t live by the recipe of the majority and isn’t a part of the larger mechanism.
As I wrote many times before, I think that social media generally brings more harm than good. For a start, these put immense pressure on you. On the one hand, they drive you to be present and active, but this can also subject you to a great deal of misunderstanding and even open hatred just for speaking your mind. Therefore, I’m still stubbornly refusing to play this game, even though I constantly read how networking is important if you want to succeed in anything these days.
I’m a notoriously private person, but if I find myself in the middle of some discussion, I’m always prepared to defend my standpoint and beliefs. Lately, however, I try my best to stay well away from discussions and quarrels, both in the real and virtual worlds. More annoyance and frustration is the last thing I need. Trouble is, you often feel a compulsive need to state your mind, just because everyone around you tends to do this very aggressively.
Speaking about your political beliefs generally isn’t wise these days. I wish I could distance myself from politics completely, but I just can’t. We’re living in an extremely polarized society, which greatly benefits those in power. Divide et impera. Nothing really new. But sooner or later, you need to pick a side. Personally, I’m a leftist by my habitus and also my family legacy. As an artist, I advocate freedom of choice, tolerance, respect for differences, caring for those in need, and protection of nature and wildlife. Furthermore, I just don’t have a capitalist mentality in me. I'm not one of those who will chase fame for a lifetime, driven by money.
Sadly, things in my country are almost opposite to my personal beliefs. I’m a part of the unfortunate generation that spent its childhood in quite a different system. I don’t intend to discuss which system was “better” or “worse”. I was only a child back then, but some things I will always remember. In these now long-gone times, everything seemed much more optimistic, much better music was listened to, and people were far more courteous, polite, and kind.
Sometimes, I’m pondering if things would be much better for me in a different political climate than this current one. For people like me, no political regime is ever favorable enough. Trying to quote Oscar Wilde: “For an artist, the best kind of government is no government at all”. Of course, this doesn’t mean that I advocate anarchy by any means. But I would probably feel a lot better and freer in a regime based primarily on socialist values.
Be it as it may, I’m first and foremost an escapist. This is the only way of coping with life that I know, and which has kept my head above water for decades now. Therefore, I’m trying to find meaning and salvation in small everyday things, some small pleasures, and of course, in art and creativity.