Sometimes you can just look at the world and think, “this is fucked,” and leave it at that. You don’t always have to figure out what it means. You can just let it be what it is.
Last night I had this exact thought. ‘I’m fed up of discourse.’ Of us all stating our opinions all the time, reacting to current events in a perpetual cycle, with it only rarely culminating in substantial change. It is something new every week, and I can’t even remember what “the thing” that people were talking about was just a couple of weeks ago. It is really exhausting - no wonder you’re feeling heavy and numb to it all. I think it’s great that you write honestly about it. At times I feel the same. Our bodies just aren’t designed to live like this, to always be on. I hope that taking a break from it all helps you to feel more grounded
I guess this is just part of the ebb and flow of being a human... and I think the way we respond (how numb we feel vs interested vs indifferent) depends on what season we are in our own life, too. Sometimes it's nice to just say the thing and know other people feel it too :)
Agree! This feels less like cynicism and more like a nervous system saying “enough.” Not everything needs to be metabolized publicly. There’s wisdom in stepping out of the noise instead of trying to make sense of it louder.
Yes exactly! You're right, we're just getting worn down by it all. The competition of who can grab attention the best or say the most interesting or shocking thing is too much - to the point where it's neither interesting or shocking anymore. Not that any particular individual is to blame since we're all just optimising around how the technologies we have available to us have been built
Very well said. I feel after a while everything just becomes white noise without any substance… it almost feels hollow without soul, and I think this is what do many people are searching.. which the differentiator of being human - depth and spirit.
This resonates. There’s a real fatigue that comes from constant attention without integration… from being asked to process, react, optimize, and perform endlessly.
What you’re naming doesn’t feel like hopelessness to me, but discernment. A quiet refusal to turn every signal into content, every reaction into identity. Sometimes the most honest response is to stop narrating and let something simply be felt.
That choice alone already shifts what kind of world you’re participating in.
This is definitely a collective feeling at the moment. Thank you for vocalizing what many of us are sitting with. I literally sat in therapy yesterday and just said "I don't know. I don't know what's happening". It seems like it's a time to simply surrender to the fact that we don't have the answers and honestly, we shouldn't have to.
Yeah... it does seem like so many people are simply exhausted. Sometimes it feels like "what's the point of even having an opinion on this?" But you bring up a great point—we don't have all the answers and we don't have to :)
Provocative. "...just let it be what it is." You have so much power to focus on other things that aren't fucked.
I'm not sick of going out in the fields and woods with the dog, snowshoeing, potlucks and baking. I love filling the bird feeders and watching who comes. Tracking in the snow. Going out for coffee, which I hardly ever do--but did today.
Moving my body through space and letting my eyes scan right to left: as they were designed to. Eyes going up and down with the scroll: not designed for that.
Not sick of learning new plants, trees, birds and learning to know them in every season, without leaves, while molting, when just dry stalks are left after summer.
We may be fucked, but there is so much here, now, that isn't fucked. A good trick is to see what is good where you are, right in front of you, not what you are looking for in your mind. Use your eyes, your ears, your heart.
Thank you. Reading this is the touchpoint I needed to stop and just feel connected for a minute to someone/thing that doesn't require me to be “on” but isn't the constant static/noise that is making me feel the same way.
It's so important to listen to our body's cues and disconnect from time to time. I committed to no news consumption through the end of the week. It's too much right now. Keeps derailing my mood. Time to turn "off" for a bit :)
Love this. I have been experimenting it a lot too, we have been trained to make everything shareable to social media. Sometimes I find myself thinking about the next outfit I am going to wear but is it really enjoyable to think about performing? I think it’s enjoyable when you are doing things for yourself.
Obviously when it comes to news and everything that is going on with the world right now I think the only thing we can do is “ant work”, in Spanish we call this to taking small steps to spread the voice about something we do not like and we can’t control.
I hope you can connect with yourself and enjoy writing again; you are great at it.
That's so kind, thanks so much, Sulma. I definitely still enjoy writing... I think I'm just in one of my phases where I need to slow down a bit and process things for a little longer before I send something out into the algo. The last thing I want to do is contribute to the noise. I am actually about to take the dogs on a walk right now—walks fix *most things* 😆
It sounds like you are picking up on the decoherence vibe that permeates life in North America right now. It's like life has sunk into a deep decoherence basin of increasing decay and instability. What's the point of describing its patterns if at the end of the day, we remain stuck and can't get out. But that's where you come in, dear scribe. Give us the new metaphors that will help us build the neural scaffolding so we can rise above this sink hole and imagine living, being, doing, and knowing differently. There are other worlds that await. We just don't know how to get there yet. Show us a way out, please.
Thank you so much for this—you're absolutely right. This: "Give us the new metaphors that will help us build the neural scaffolding so we can rise above this sink hole and imagine living, being, doing, and knowing differently." is such a good idea. I instinctively try to do this, but for some reason have just felt so deflated. But it's always so comforting and reassuring to know other people find new paths in what I share. It makes it feel worth while. Thanks, Brian.
Just to give you some positive feedback, Stepfanie. Of all the posts I've read in 2025, two of yours stick out in my mind. The first was advice about curating inputs. I have and noticed an improvement in my mood since I stopped living in the news cycle. I no longer read the news, breaking a long standing habit. The second was your piece abour Henri Rousseau. I found it inspiring. something I won't forget: his paintings hang in museums while no one remembers his critics. Oh yes, the other thing was you coming out about your use of AI in your writing process. It helped me learn to open up and trust ChatGPT as a thought partner. Thanks again. As we come to the end of the year and the world seems bleak, know that your writing does make a difference to me and to others. All the best to you, your family, and your dogs in New Year. Cheers. Brian
I get this feeling from time to time, where everything just stops making sense because I have over analyzed everything.
That's the time I stop enjoying the things I love, because I can only think about what I will be getting out of it to write about rather than simply enjoy.
So, loved that you have put that feeling into words.
Yes, you're so right! Taking time to slow down and disconnect for a bit helps things fall back into place. I'm sure I'll feel recharged soon... just needed to vent, I think. I'm glad others feel this too. I guess we really are all in "it" together 😅
Seeing this article after I whisper yelled at my computer just moments ago, “I fucking hate this world”, again and again until I got my anger and frustration out and felt relief… is cathartic, for the lack of a better word
I think that's what writing it down showed me too... it's okay to feel like everything is too heavy from time to time. I think that frustration you describe is just our body's way of asking us to TAKE A DAMN BREAK from the chaotic narratives for a while 😅
Last night I had this exact thought. ‘I’m fed up of discourse.’ Of us all stating our opinions all the time, reacting to current events in a perpetual cycle, with it only rarely culminating in substantial change. It is something new every week, and I can’t even remember what “the thing” that people were talking about was just a couple of weeks ago. It is really exhausting - no wonder you’re feeling heavy and numb to it all. I think it’s great that you write honestly about it. At times I feel the same. Our bodies just aren’t designed to live like this, to always be on. I hope that taking a break from it all helps you to feel more grounded
I guess this is just part of the ebb and flow of being a human... and I think the way we respond (how numb we feel vs interested vs indifferent) depends on what season we are in our own life, too. Sometimes it's nice to just say the thing and know other people feel it too :)
Agree! This feels less like cynicism and more like a nervous system saying “enough.” Not everything needs to be metabolized publicly. There’s wisdom in stepping out of the noise instead of trying to make sense of it louder.
It's definitely time for a disconnect and a reset 😊
Yes exactly! You're right, we're just getting worn down by it all. The competition of who can grab attention the best or say the most interesting or shocking thing is too much - to the point where it's neither interesting or shocking anymore. Not that any particular individual is to blame since we're all just optimising around how the technologies we have available to us have been built
Very well said. I feel after a while everything just becomes white noise without any substance… it almost feels hollow without soul, and I think this is what do many people are searching.. which the differentiator of being human - depth and spirit.
The tiranny of having to process every observation into content. I enjoyed reading this piece while avoiding my own observations.
It's a blessing and a curse :)
This resonates. There’s a real fatigue that comes from constant attention without integration… from being asked to process, react, optimize, and perform endlessly.
What you’re naming doesn’t feel like hopelessness to me, but discernment. A quiet refusal to turn every signal into content, every reaction into identity. Sometimes the most honest response is to stop narrating and let something simply be felt.
That choice alone already shifts what kind of world you’re participating in.
This is definitely a collective feeling at the moment. Thank you for vocalizing what many of us are sitting with. I literally sat in therapy yesterday and just said "I don't know. I don't know what's happening". It seems like it's a time to simply surrender to the fact that we don't have the answers and honestly, we shouldn't have to.
Yeah... it does seem like so many people are simply exhausted. Sometimes it feels like "what's the point of even having an opinion on this?" But you bring up a great point—we don't have all the answers and we don't have to :)
Provocative. "...just let it be what it is." You have so much power to focus on other things that aren't fucked.
I'm not sick of going out in the fields and woods with the dog, snowshoeing, potlucks and baking. I love filling the bird feeders and watching who comes. Tracking in the snow. Going out for coffee, which I hardly ever do--but did today.
Moving my body through space and letting my eyes scan right to left: as they were designed to. Eyes going up and down with the scroll: not designed for that.
Not sick of learning new plants, trees, birds and learning to know them in every season, without leaves, while molting, when just dry stalks are left after summer.
We may be fucked, but there is so much here, now, that isn't fucked. A good trick is to see what is good where you are, right in front of you, not what you are looking for in your mind. Use your eyes, your ears, your heart.
This is lovely and so true. There are lots and lots of things I'm not sick of. Many in common with you, it seems :)
Keep up the good work and the good fight!
Thank you. Reading this is the touchpoint I needed to stop and just feel connected for a minute to someone/thing that doesn't require me to be “on” but isn't the constant static/noise that is making me feel the same way.
It's so important to listen to our body's cues and disconnect from time to time. I committed to no news consumption through the end of the week. It's too much right now. Keeps derailing my mood. Time to turn "off" for a bit :)
Love this. I have been experimenting it a lot too, we have been trained to make everything shareable to social media. Sometimes I find myself thinking about the next outfit I am going to wear but is it really enjoyable to think about performing? I think it’s enjoyable when you are doing things for yourself.
Obviously when it comes to news and everything that is going on with the world right now I think the only thing we can do is “ant work”, in Spanish we call this to taking small steps to spread the voice about something we do not like and we can’t control.
I hope you can connect with yourself and enjoy writing again; you are great at it.
That's so kind, thanks so much, Sulma. I definitely still enjoy writing... I think I'm just in one of my phases where I need to slow down a bit and process things for a little longer before I send something out into the algo. The last thing I want to do is contribute to the noise. I am actually about to take the dogs on a walk right now—walks fix *most things* 😆
It sounds like you are picking up on the decoherence vibe that permeates life in North America right now. It's like life has sunk into a deep decoherence basin of increasing decay and instability. What's the point of describing its patterns if at the end of the day, we remain stuck and can't get out. But that's where you come in, dear scribe. Give us the new metaphors that will help us build the neural scaffolding so we can rise above this sink hole and imagine living, being, doing, and knowing differently. There are other worlds that await. We just don't know how to get there yet. Show us a way out, please.
Thank you so much for this—you're absolutely right. This: "Give us the new metaphors that will help us build the neural scaffolding so we can rise above this sink hole and imagine living, being, doing, and knowing differently." is such a good idea. I instinctively try to do this, but for some reason have just felt so deflated. But it's always so comforting and reassuring to know other people find new paths in what I share. It makes it feel worth while. Thanks, Brian.
Just to give you some positive feedback, Stepfanie. Of all the posts I've read in 2025, two of yours stick out in my mind. The first was advice about curating inputs. I have and noticed an improvement in my mood since I stopped living in the news cycle. I no longer read the news, breaking a long standing habit. The second was your piece abour Henri Rousseau. I found it inspiring. something I won't forget: his paintings hang in museums while no one remembers his critics. Oh yes, the other thing was you coming out about your use of AI in your writing process. It helped me learn to open up and trust ChatGPT as a thought partner. Thanks again. As we come to the end of the year and the world seems bleak, know that your writing does make a difference to me and to others. All the best to you, your family, and your dogs in New Year. Cheers. Brian
That's amazing, I love to hear it, Brian. Thanks so much for sharing with me, I'm glad to hear some of my work has been resonating so deeply with you!
I get this feeling from time to time, where everything just stops making sense because I have over analyzed everything.
That's the time I stop enjoying the things I love, because I can only think about what I will be getting out of it to write about rather than simply enjoy.
So, loved that you have put that feeling into words.
Yes, you're so right! Taking time to slow down and disconnect for a bit helps things fall back into place. I'm sure I'll feel recharged soon... just needed to vent, I think. I'm glad others feel this too. I guess we really are all in "it" together 😅
Seeing this article after I whisper yelled at my computer just moments ago, “I fucking hate this world”, again and again until I got my anger and frustration out and felt relief… is cathartic, for the lack of a better word
I think that's what writing it down showed me too... it's okay to feel like everything is too heavy from time to time. I think that frustration you describe is just our body's way of asking us to TAKE A DAMN BREAK from the chaotic narratives for a while 😅
turn the other cheek