Ending the News Fast

Feb. 19^th 

Today I made tentative steps towards finding out about world events again. MayB’s sister had posted links on Facebook to news items about events in Ukraine, so I read a small amount of information about that topic. And I followed the “trending on Facebook” link to a BBC news item about an attack on members of Pussy Riot. Events in Venezuela certainly seem to be worthy of attention, too.

Little steps, little steps…towards what? I felt like saying “normalcy,” but I don’t know what that will be now. This particular extreme reaction—of not being able to bear to see or hear or read any news is so highly abnormal for me that it is hard to see how it can endure for a very long time, or mark a permanent change.

It’s as if someone gave me a good shaking, saying “Wake up! WAKE UP!” And something clicked in my brain: “Wait a minute! Stop being so self-focused! Educate yourself about what’s happening around the world!”

This development may mean I am moving from one phase of grief (shock?) to another, but what this new phase might be remains to be seen.