Most things in life revolve around opinions.
Personal opinions feel within our power.
But are they?
I wonder if all the opinions set loose in the world are part of the divisiveness we see now.
Is opinion just the peanut gallery of the powerless?
The shadow of actions we can’t control?
Few of us have the literal power to change the world.
But opinion, it’s our touchstone to those actions.
A way to feel connected.
Most of us have opinions about the people with power.
About the ones shaping the world around us.
Are opinions just feelings wrapped in thoughts?
Maybe.
Had to stop my daily news habit.
I got too opinionated. Too caught up.
Whatever comes will come. We’ll adapt.
That’s what humans do best.
Twenty years ago, was the news this apocalyptic?
Or was I not paying attention?
Did I just not care?
I’m not sure.
Was I that detached?
Or is it all much worse now?
It doesn’t matter.
The news is toxic for me.
Maybe for all of us.
Still, there’s joy in being alive.
Even with the confusion.
Being bombarded by noise, opinions, and constant updates, it’s overwhelming.
Does all this noise stop us from believing we can make a difference?
Maybe.
I don’t get the apocalypse vibe.
Whether it’s politics or the economy.
For others, it might be religious.
Some insist on a coming ‘civil war.’
It feels like there’s a need out there for the world to end.
Maybe people need the idea of an end to make sense of now.
It’s confusing.
Things never go well for regular people in those chaotic situations.
Especially not for women, when religion mixes with politics.
These things wander through my head.
Civil tension? Unrest? Mass shootings?
It’s an endless churning of stress.
This isn’t the adulthood that I assumed I’d be living in.
It’s not what I dreamed about.
I’m awake.
Yet, I don’t recognize this world.