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Is Ignorance Bliss?
Oct. 15th, 2001 03:47 pmI'm really beginning to feel the effects of information overload, and I'm trying to find the balance between staying informed about current events and not being so informed about every breaking news item that all I do is worry. My co-worker Jeff is subscribed to CNN's Breaking News Email, and he's set up a redirector so that every time they have a breaking news item, it gets forwarded to everyone at work, so I can't get away from it.
So, of course, every time a new case of anthrax is found, or a new tainted mail is received, I hear about it... and my overactive imagination starts working overtime. I'm starting to see why Z avoids the news now. Seeing the 11th happen was enough for her, and she's tired of hearing more about it. Me, I like keeping up with current events now, but even I'm starting to get overwhelmed.
So maybe the terrorists have succeeded, huh? I'll admit it, I'm scared. I don't constantly worry -- I can distract my mind with friends and entertainment and love, but when things get quiet, and my mind is still, I start imagining things. Just now, I had a scene play through my head, complete with camera angles and dialogue, of me opening an envelope and getting my hands covered with white powder... and thinking, "Oh shit, I'm going to die," telling people not to touch me...
Yes, I am a bit paranoid. But like most things, again the scene was gone as soon as it appeared. And I was left with the feeling of powerlessness, shock, anger, sorrow, and fear. Not overpoweringly so, but still, I'm feeling fear. I didn't used to fear like this. Only in the last week have I started fearing like this.
And I HATE the terrorists for this, whoever they are, wherever they are, whoever they worship. I HATE them for taking away my sense of security, however misfounded it may have been. They took away my feeling that my country could protect me from things like this, and I HATE them for that. They haven't advanced their agenda or garnered any support from me; they've just made be detest them even more. I don't care about why they're angry, because I refuse to try to commisserate with someone who wants me dead.
It's easy to preach for peace when you don't feel threatened, but when someone threatens your family, peace ceases to be an option. I'd still like to see as little bloodshed as possible, and I'd like to see as little suffering for the Afghan people as possible, since they're not at fault. And I don't have a problem with re-examining our foreign policy, since we need the world and the world needs us -- we know that now. But I want justice, because I've been robbed. Someone stole my sense of security, and I hope that the thief loses theirs.
So I guess I should avoid the news now, huh?
So, of course, every time a new case of anthrax is found, or a new tainted mail is received, I hear about it... and my overactive imagination starts working overtime. I'm starting to see why Z avoids the news now. Seeing the 11th happen was enough for her, and she's tired of hearing more about it. Me, I like keeping up with current events now, but even I'm starting to get overwhelmed.
So maybe the terrorists have succeeded, huh? I'll admit it, I'm scared. I don't constantly worry -- I can distract my mind with friends and entertainment and love, but when things get quiet, and my mind is still, I start imagining things. Just now, I had a scene play through my head, complete with camera angles and dialogue, of me opening an envelope and getting my hands covered with white powder... and thinking, "Oh shit, I'm going to die," telling people not to touch me...
Yes, I am a bit paranoid. But like most things, again the scene was gone as soon as it appeared. And I was left with the feeling of powerlessness, shock, anger, sorrow, and fear. Not overpoweringly so, but still, I'm feeling fear. I didn't used to fear like this. Only in the last week have I started fearing like this.
And I HATE the terrorists for this, whoever they are, wherever they are, whoever they worship. I HATE them for taking away my sense of security, however misfounded it may have been. They took away my feeling that my country could protect me from things like this, and I HATE them for that. They haven't advanced their agenda or garnered any support from me; they've just made be detest them even more. I don't care about why they're angry, because I refuse to try to commisserate with someone who wants me dead.
It's easy to preach for peace when you don't feel threatened, but when someone threatens your family, peace ceases to be an option. I'd still like to see as little bloodshed as possible, and I'd like to see as little suffering for the Afghan people as possible, since they're not at fault. And I don't have a problem with re-examining our foreign policy, since we need the world and the world needs us -- we know that now. But I want justice, because I've been robbed. Someone stole my sense of security, and I hope that the thief loses theirs.
So I guess I should avoid the news now, huh?
