Opinion | The importance of remaining involved
I am so tired. I swear I have been since like 2015. I’m tired in general, but mainly I’m tired of politics. Specifically, American politics. More specifically, the 2020 presidential election.
But I need to lose this mentality and I need to lose it fast. The news this past week has been dominated by coverage of Super Tuesday and presidential candidates dropping out of the race left and right. It’s getting hard to keep track of who’s in and who’s out.
All the coverage of Super Tuesday straight up stressed me out. There was a lot of excitement, drama and pressure going into it and now that it’s over and the votes have been counted, I’m not too thrilled with the results, which made me even more stressed.
So basically, I’m stressed and tired. What a winning combination.
For many of us, Super Tuesday was the first time in our lives when we were able to cast a vote for our hopeful President of the United States. It was a lot of pressure. And even though I voted in the 2018 midterm elections, I felt a different sort of pride when I voted in the presidential primary.
But still, as I’m closely watching the election unfold, I’m finding myself increasingly exhausted with the nature of the entire political atmosphere.
My phone likely receives around 30 notifications an hour from a variety of news apps that I’ve installed on my phone with the intent to stay informed. Rather, they’re doing the opposite, filling me with anxiety with every buzz, leaving me filled with guilt when I dismiss them without a second glance. Believe me, I’ve tried to tailor my settings so only the most important notifications get through. But frankly, everything is important. The problem is, with each new notification comes newfound anxiety. I don’t know how much longer I can take all the negativity.
There’s a fine line to balance when trying to stay informed while trying to preserve your sanity. And I’m really balancing on that line right now.
As a political science student, I feel as if it is my duty to remain informed and updated on every current affair, no matter how depressing the news may be. And sometimes that’s really difficult. Sometimes I just want to delete every news app on my phone and live a life of blissful ignorance, unaware of the tragedies and catastrophes that are happening around me.
The problem with that mentality is that we need to stay informed and active. Now, perhaps more than ever, we need to be participatory in both local and federal politics. Without our attention, democracy doesn’t work.
So even though I’m sick and tired of hearing and reading about the 2020 presidential election, I know that it’s in my best interest, and the best interest of this country, to stay as informed as I possibly can. After all, the fate of our country’s future is in our hands. It’s our duty to act responsibly.
Being too exhausted to remain informed isn’t a valid excuse for ignorance. Yes it’s very important to take a break from the exhausting news realm every once in a while, but we have to ensure that we don’t become apathetic in the process.
It’s important to care, now more than ever. Care about who the Democratic nominee will be. Care about who our next President will be. Care about the environment, care about those who are less fortunate than us. Care about the world and everyone in it. It’s the least we can do, no matter how exhausting it may be.