I don’t watch the news.
So it happens that I am uninformed. I’m often uninformed.
Actually, I’m often the only one who would say “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Who is this guy/ lady?” or “Really? When did it happen?”
My parents always told me it’s important that I know what is happening in the world and that I should watch the news. That when I meet with people I should have something to discuss with them. That I should be in the know because educated people watch the news, know what is going on in the world and have their opinions.
Judging by my inaptitude to discuss the latests developments with the people I meet occasionally (our neighbours, family, and even close friends) I think my parents were right.
If you don’t watch the news you will be marginalized in the discussion as the weirdo who knows very little about what is going on in the world.
And I still choose not watching the news and not being in the know.
I deliberately choose being the weird guy. The one impossible to talk with.
Do I feel awkward in those situations?
I am aware of the fact that I won’t be able to participate in these discussions. And I don’t feel good in the company of people who expect that I will be in the know and thus easily relate to others.
And I can tell you, they don’t like those who come unprepared.
It’s like school again. You should know what the topic of the next lesson will be and you should be prepared.
People who come unprepared (who haven’t read pages 155 through 235 of the textbook) ruin the whole thing.
Hence most people prefer to come prepared. They don’t want to ruin this experience.
They don't want to be the only ones without an opinion ready to share / without some die-hard conviction already established (ideally the conviction of the majority of people sitting at the table).
They want to matter in the discussion.
And it’s usually pretty easy to figure out what the discussion will be about. It’s also pretty easy to prepare for that discussion.
They are aware that without staying informed about the latest developments in the national and global arena they run the risk of being marginalized in the discussion. (My parents knew it, too, and they warned me about it.)
They are aware that they might even be laughed at. That people will wonder how the hell someone like this even exists.
Someone who is not in the know.
Someone who doesn't have an opinion about Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump or Queen Elizabeth II ready to share.
Someone who ignores the daily news.
Someone who doesn't give a shit.
Someone who clearly is not a good company.
Someone who isn't interested in the same thing as everyone else.
Someone who lives in his or her own world and stubbornly refuses to fit in.
But you and I have a choice.
It is a choice that is much more difficult than simply doing everything just to fit in.
It is definitely a choice that is way more unsettling.
We can find new friends/ new circle.
We don't have to stay relevant for the sake of staying relevant and being able to discuss the same issues, gossip about the same people (judging them without really knowing anything about them).
We can be in our own world. Yes, a different world.
And we can win that way.
We can be happier and less anxious than those who tune in to the news each day to stay relevant. They let media feed them selected content (content that is supposed to shock them/ shake them up or keep them anxious).
Follow the news and you will be left with no time to produce/ do work that really matters/ really contribute to the society/ create/ change the world through your art.
Who do you want to be?
A connected member of the society (the one that chooses to fit in) or the member that challenges the status quo through different choices?