I didn't follow the news for 6 weeks: here's what reached me anyway
On stepping back without falling behind
It started on a Saturday morning. I was sitting on a bench in a forest outside Berlin. Peaceful. I mindlessly reached for my phone and opened a news website.
A new war had broken out. After his Venezuelan adventure, Trump had set his sights on Iran. My heart broke.
But also, I wondered: why had I invited this into this moment that was supposed to nourish me? I came to the forest for peace. Whole food for the mind. Why did I reach for that snack? I could have caught up with the news later.
It was mindless. There have been many such moments, often in bouts of productive procrastination. Because being up to date with the goings on of the world doesn’t count as wasting time, right?
I hit pause. It was time to fast.
I knew I was going to catch news somehow. It could be mentioned in podcasts I follow, friends might talk about it, I might see newspaper headlines, or I might hear something when I occasionally listen to the radio.
But how informed would I still be?
You be the judge. Here are the most important pieces I picked up on as of April 17.
Khamenei was killed, but the Iranian regime has not been unseated. From what I understand, his son runs the show now.
There is a lot of concern about the prices of energy, fertiliser, and food.
Trump threatened to wipe out the Iranian civilisation.
A cease-fire was put in place, but as far as I’m aware, the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.
Despite the cease-fire, Israel continued its attacks on Lebanon. Beirut saw heavy bombing.
Trump and the Pope are beefing.
Trump posted an AI picture of himself as Jesus.
We went to the moon! Human beings reached the furthest point away from Earth that we have ever reached.
The house of OpenAI boss Sam Altman got molotov’d.
The merged Dutch Labour Party and Green Party rebranded to… Progressive (Progressief Nederland). I think.
(This may seem like a deep cut, but I’m originally from the Netherlands.)Victor Órban lost the Hungarian elections decisively.
From what I gather, my limited information diet has still left me relatively well-informed, with more space to learn about specific areas where I might actually have a positive impact.
Here’s the news I have been noticing instead, here in Berlin, over the past six weeks:
Days are now longer than nights.
The parks are busier with people due to the nice weather. In Berlin, some parks can turn into spontaneous festivals.
Birds are louder than they were six weeks ago, with certain species having migrated back from Africa.
Flowering trees and plants have started blossoming! Particularly cherry blossoms. Rhododendrons are starting now.
The tree canopies have gone from bare to full in about two weeks.
Ducks have paired off and are nesting.
Playgrounds are full of life again.
Fresh, local asparagus and rhubarb have appeared in supermarkets.
The space has also allowed me to build a browser extension that blocks distractions, plants trees, and cleans oceans. Really. It’s called Mindful Block.
I have also started part-time tour guiding. Telling people about Berlin’s history. About multicultural life, division, unification, the banality of evil, and how we should be watchful for the small steps that constantly redefined what was normal and took this society to a place of almost unimaginable terror and suffering.
As a little add-on to this work, I built a small tool to give tour guests more tips at the end of the tour, collect reviews, and, if they really enjoyed themselves, receive a tip. I’m planning to turn this software into something other tour guides can use, too.
I’ve also been taking a course on the existential risks this world faces and how we might effectively address them. Alongside it, I’ve been reading Rob Hopkins’ How To Fall In Love With The Future, which teaches readers how to cultivate positive visions of the future to work towards. It’s incredibly inspiring.
There is a lot of doom. We see a lot of suffering when we consume media. It is important we take time to consider better, aspirational futures and imagine how they can come into being, so we can work towards them.
So that when we think of the future, we remember something beautiful, rather than dystopian. So that we let the joy of those memories and dreams inspire us to be kind and focused on improving life for future generations.
ᕱᕱ For your ears ᕱᕱ
I’m not fortunate enough to have a little stream near my house, so this week I’ve turned to Rod Modell’s Grotto Of The Sun, which provides an ambient stream of musically textured water by one of dub techno’s most influential figures.