I gave up news last year. It was really hard, I instinctively and habitually checked various news sources, so it was hard to fight this back. I've also removed my Facebook news feed. Now all I consume are HN and Twitter (from which I cull anything political or current affairsy). I have a subscription to Delayed Gratification[1], and am a lot more content now than I used to be.
Giving up reading news will make us happier
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Re: Giving up reading news will make us happier
#72Haven't watched the news in at least 5 years. Actually I haven't watched TV in the last 5 years even. So I don't have ads bombarding me, or fear and propaganda coming in every day. Highly recommended. You have one life. Make sure it counts as a happy one.
How do you stay up to day? Ideally Id like a weekly review or something where I can spend 30min. I recongnise it would be beneficial to give up news, but I need to know a bit about whats going on to be social.
The internet changed from an informational "push" method to making it possible and easy to "pull" "just" the information a person is interested in.
Similar to others, I stopped watching the news 10 years ago. Yes, fatal car accidents and scary robberies are unfortunate and tragic but also fairly rare. The worry the news causes is irrational. The news would just stir up FUD and stress, because under FUD people are less likely to think and more likely to follow commands, even "benign" ones and subtle hints like "buy this toothpaste to have a 'socially' acceptable white smile". It's not a social standard, it's a company forcing their standard on the public to make it a social and peer force because the company stands to benefit from it. I feel less compelled to go to a store and buy new electronics and gadgets and a plethora of other things. I spend less time chasing the things TV and media attempts to tell us all to obtain.
Re: Giving up reading news will make us happier
#73The problem is that some news is relevant. One of my friends has given up reading or watching any kind of news altogether. At first this seems impressive but when I asked him about how far his house was from the wildfire, he was like "Umm - what wildfire?". He was oblivious to the fact that country's biggest wildfire was just three miles away from his house. He is a very smart and successful guy and it really jolted…
Three miles? Did he also give up looking out the window?
Re: Giving up reading news will make us happier
#74The problem is that some news is relevant. One of my friends has given up reading or watching any kind of news altogether. At first this seems impressive but when I asked him about how far his house was from the wildfire, he was like "Umm - what wildfire?". He was oblivious to the fact that country's biggest wildfire was just three miles away from his house. He is a very smart and successful guy and it really jolted…
Three miles? Did he also give up looking out the window?
Or talking to people in general? That seems incredibly odd.
Re: Giving up reading news will make us happier
#75> happier Seeking happiness is a trap in itself though. This has been extensively discussed by centuries of philosophers. Happiness is transitory and can never be sustained.
What counts as sustained? Does a bad day, week, month, or year disrupt it? Or is a year or decade of general happiness mean it is sustained? Does it have to last until your death?
Maybe it requires the context of your first sentence about seeking happiness.
For myself, I would not say I seek it, but that I chose it. I feel I've been generally happy nearly always. Sure, there have been stresses, losses, tragedies, tears, and such. There have been extended periods of feelings of inadequacy and of being trapped. Yet, even through all such events and periods, I'd say I tend to be happy. And the last major part of a decade has been the most fulfilling and blessed part of my life yet. Sure, it could come crashing down. Or it could get even better! I chose to be happy with where I have been, where I am at, and look forward to where I'll go.
Re: Giving up reading news will make us happier
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
The average citizen (not organizing protests and keeping away from fruitless online outrage) can probably catch up with all relevant political news in 1-2 hours/month of concentrated effort. I've started doing just that and it has had great impact on my mental health. I don't feel any less prepared to make an impact when the time comes (elections, sporadic talks with friends and family). Should I be more engaged? Sur…
What sources do you use to catch up?
It's highly centered on my country so I'm not sure it's of use to a global audience.
But it's a mix of filtering actual facts from newspaper articles on both sides of the spectrum (they usually carry very little information and mostly repeat words to fill up screen space), then check a few respected journalists publishing analysis after a few weeks (again, from left/right). They will be biased, like anything, but there's a kernel of Truth even when I disagree. So that's useful for informing my thoughts.
Re: Giving up reading news will make us happier
#77Haven't watched the news in at least 5 years. Actually I haven't watched TV in the last 5 years even. So I don't have ads bombarding me, or fear and propaganda coming in every day. Highly recommended. You have one life. Make sure it counts as a happy one.
How do you stay up to day? Ideally Id like a weekly review or something where I can spend 30min. I recongnise it would be beneficial to give up news, but I need to know a bit about whats going on to be social.
Being aloof to the gossip, rumors, and controversies of the "news" seems pro-social to me because it allows you to discuss these issues with people in a more civil manner simply because you are not so emotionally charged over the issues as those who obssesively ruminate on them.
Re: Giving up reading news will make us happier
#78Original full essay in German: http://www.dobelli.com/de/essays/news-diat-full/
From the same author of https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16248196-the-art-of-thin...
Re: Giving up reading news will make us happier
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
Three miles? Did he also give up looking out the window?
Or talking to people in general? That seems incredibly odd.
I asked him about if he could not see the smoke. He said the wind direction took the smoke away from his house and some hills obstructed his view. He had just moved into the neighborhood so he wasn't friends with the neighbors quite yet.
Re: Giving up reading news will make us happier
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
I prepare a cup of tea and stare out the window.
Yeah I just go outside pretending taking a mental cigarette, And water is better than tea also
> water is better than tea also
What are you basing this off of? How are the comparisons being done? Tea has many benefits provided its not "fake" sugar-riddled tea.
Don't make a comment telling someone else to "stop doing something" without any context about why you're suggesting it.