The world is in distress. I'm not going to get into the horrible details, I just want to say I hope it gets better in so many ways.It's been hard to watch and taking all my motivation to write "entertaining stories" that seem meaningless in comparison...
I will say, after I watch a bit of news, I've been glancing at tik-tok and feel comforted with most of the thoughtful commentaries in my feed. It feels like most of the country is united against violence and wants to work on solving the root problems.
How is it affecting you?
As it is IWSG day, I'm going to complain a little. Then I'm going to give myself a few suggestions... and welcome anything you'd like to add.
Lately, I feel helpless and useless. I wish I could do something for those who are hurting. All my emotions are tied up. I feel selfish when I try to do other things to take my mind off it all while so many are suffering. What can little ol' me do to help?
Here are a few things I thought of to do. It isn't much, but it's something...
- Positive Posts. I don't get political - that is immediately divisive. I always try to encourage and say positive things about life and writing. And I will continue to do that, as much as I can.
- Tweet No More. Twitter has become a haven of trolls. I can't take all the negative. I'm very close to eliminating Twitter from my life. There are other ways to communicate with my friends, and it doesn't seem to do much good for my writing career anyway... Once I set up a new way to meetup with my writing friends, I'm outta there.
- Donate. As soon as things calm down--and they will, they have to!--I plan to donate to small business funds for rebuilding their livelihoods. I don't have a lot, but I want to contribute, maybe donate some time this summer too.
- Pray. Been praying a lot. Praying for peace. Praying for those who are hurting. Praying for the ones causing hurt to have a change of heart.
- Take a break. It's so intense and frustrating. But I really need to take a break from watching the coverage. I feel guilty that I have the ability to just turn off the TV, but I'm not doing my own family any good by being in a bad mood and snapping at them because I'm upset about the world.
If you have anything to vent or add, I'd love to hear it.
And I'm ending on a positive note...
IWSG is carrying on with its annual anthology contest and it's OPEN!
Guidelines and rules:
Word count: 4500-6000
Genre: Science Fiction
Theme: Dark Matter
Submissions accepted: May 6 - September 2, 2020
How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (double-spaced, no footers or headers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your full contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.
Images immediately came to mind when I heard the theme! I'm adding it to my list of projects for the summer - an excellent distraction to work on.
How are you dealing with life these days?
I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe in these troubled times.
What do you think the future hold for us?
Some are predicting zombies or aliens... sounds about right for 2020!
Praying is the number one thing we can do. Donating to small businesses is a great idea. I don't get political in my posts, either.
ReplyDeleteI've been fortunate with Twitter and haven't seen a lot of current event stuff. Must be who I follow.
I'm one of many people who are now politically homeless, since our purported side of the political aisle has so wholeheartedly embraced things like Wokeism and Antifa's violent tactics. I'm out on Twitter re: my feelings, but not so much on Facebook, since so many of my friends there are SJWs. I wish the pendulum didn't always swing so radically between extremes.
ReplyDeleteHi Tara - you make good points ... I just don't go political and I don't comment usually on what's going on - unless it's interesting and good news. No point ... it's better to stay with the positive side of life - take care and I love the idea of donating to help others - so many will need things in many ways to stay safe themselves. All the best - Hilary
ReplyDeleteThoughtful post! Great ideas!
ReplyDeleteDonating is a wonderful idea. I'll check what businesses need it in our state. Between shutdown and riots, I'm sure a lot.
ReplyDeleteFacebook does me in. So much hatred and skewered information.
I've made some donations and done some reading to learn more but it feels like an inconsequential drop in the proverbial bucket.
ReplyDeleteI actually find Twitter pretty good - especially when compared to FB. But the negativity (and the time suck) has stopped me joining other sites
Praying is my first stop. I've been volunteering at local businesses. And as for Twitter...I steer pretty clear of anything political on my posts. Luckily, I don't get too much on my feed. So, I can ignore if I choose.
ReplyDeleteI've backed away from a lot of my social media. I only check in once in a while now and then only to see what friends are up to. Good ideas here, Tara.
ReplyDeleteSocial Media is a whirlwind of chaos. The negativity has reached unbelievable heights! My husband was called into the city because rumors were flying that his pallet business was fire bombed. I didn't want him to go because I was scared for him. But, it wasn't true. Thank the Lord. It's total wood products and would have been disastrous.
ReplyDeleteTake Care. Stay Healthy and Safe.
Taking a break is probably something we all could do while we look within. I don't do much on Twitter these days. It can be such a mean place.
ReplyDeleteI use Slack with the Ninja Writer's group, and now I am used to it. It is a great chat program. It has a free version. https://slack.com/ You make good points. Happy IWSG!
ReplyDeleteI completely understand what you're saying about Twitter become a cesspool of guck, negativity, and judgment. I don't want to be involved with something that makes me constantly examine myself, afraid to say anything. FB is a close second.
ReplyDeletePrayer has been the way I've been dealing with most of what's going on. I truly believe in its power.
Keep praying. I too have not watched the news as much as I used to. Why do they have to play those scenes over and over and over? They are so damaging to the viewer's mental health. The media only cares about the bottom line--$$.
ReplyDeleteI stay away from political comments too. What's the point? People have strong opinions and won't listen to anyone else's thoughts.
Thoughtful and welcome post. Thank you.
JQ Rose
I feel the same way—useless. You express what so many of us feel. I hate the way some miscreants have used peaceful protests for their evil actions. Good post, Tara.
ReplyDelete