In times like now that are seemingly politically charged and where anywhere one turns all we see are antagonizing, negative stories in the media about this or that, it's crucial to ask ourselves whether the world is really as bad as news corporations would like us to think.
My inclination is to say that it is not. We are just bombarded with doom and gloom stories, one after the next, with no end in sight.
Nassim Taleb, has an oh-so apt aphorism for this that I will paraphrase here from memory: To be permanently disgusted from the news, try reading reading last week's newspaper for an entire year.
I will spare you a detailed analysis of that saying, but in times where politics are so fraught with negativity, it makes a very valid point: News in the grand scheme of things are of little, if any value. The really important stuff will naturally make its way to you and the rest can be ignored as it has zero impact on our lives.
On this seemingly fateful day, it is easy to default to what's happening south of the border, even though it will have very little impact on our lives, at least not in the long term. Although it's entertaining to watch people work themselves into a frenzy over an overblown, and frankly quite sad popularity contest, its importance is a direct function of how much attention we pay to it. Without spectators that sport would cease to exist, like arena football did not so long ago.
I will be staying away from the news and work on things that matter more to me and the people in my immediate circle.
Perhaps you should too?