Drowning in Distant Drama: Why 'Right vs. Wrong' Sabotages Your Present
06/07/25 19:21 Filed in: Book - 15 Years Sentient
Drowning in algorithm-fed dramas about "right vs. wrong" in distant conflicts? It's an ego trap, paralyzing real action. Media serves moral-flavored junk food, addicting us to judgments irrelevant to our lives while our local responsibilities starve. This chapter argues we must break free: drastically limit energy spent on uncontrollable global narratives (aim for far less than 20%!), recognize America's unique need for painful self-awareness beyond its heroic myth, and redirect our finite energy. True responsibility lies not in online judgment, but in concrete action within our immediate reach – tending our own "patch" is the only path to genuine impact and clarity.
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Our obsession with labeling "right" or "wrong" paralyzes us. Instead of gathering information to act purposefully, we drown in distant conflicts served as urgent by media: Israel vs. Palestine, Russia vs. Ukraine, U.S. vs. China, even protein vs. sugar. These stories are packaged *only* to churn our judgments—who’s good? Who’s evil? Who got justice?—not to offer practical insight for our lives.
The engine driving this? Our ego. It craves the dopamine hit of moral certainty. Algorithms detect which flavors our egos prefer—Ukraine with stoicism, America with "can-do" spirit—and feed us endless portions. Like junk food, this "information" addicts us to distant dramas. Meanwhile, our real responsibilities—the people, places, and choices right in front of us—starve for attention.
We forget: information should help us assess and choose. Instead, we're trapped judging "good vs. bad" about things irrelevant to our lives.
So how do we stop? Get off the judgment bus.
* The system dangles moral-flavored bait to hook our egos.
* Unless an issue *directly* affects our resources or responsibilities, why invest energy?
* Even when we helplessly engage, does it deserve 1%... or 5%... of our waking hours? It certainly shouldn’t exceed 20%—the grim "screen-time norm" these systems optimize for.
This shift is especially critical for us Americans. We judge the world while rarely examining our own reflection. Historically, we’re unique: a continent-scale nation and global empire built on ethnic cleansing; the sole user of nuclear weapons; the sole controller of global dollar flows—able to 'sanction' and seize billions from anyone, anywhere, without oversight. We fund coups and assassinations while our media paints us as freedom’s defenders. We weaponize this sanitized self-image. It shields us from the complex reality of our actions and power. Facing this history isn't about guilt; it's the painful self-awareness essential for a path of right choices, genuine growth and responsible sovereignty.
As a citizen of both Earth and the U.S., I see most judgments of "right/wrong" made in mirrorless rooms. Churning thoughts around a big picture out of control. I am just one thread in a vast quilt. All that—is not my problem.
This isn't abdicating responsibility. It’s recognizing the simple, unglamorous truth: the only way to mend the whole is to tend its countless parts. Reality is lame, but true. So I focus on the real—what I can reach: the people, places, and resources nearby.
* If I align my actions there—doing all I can to better my small patch—then I am doing all I can.
* Think about it: if you abandon those closest, who will tend them?
* And if your own patch is weak... how can the chain hold?
Imagine the clarity and energy unlocked by releasing the burden of global judgment and channeling it locally.
The sobering counterpoint? Even focusing on our small piece is hard—often beyond our immediate capability. Media offers the seductive illusion of power: tweets and comments feel potent. But it's just mental masturbation. Tweets can't clean a sheet.
If the algorithmic feedlot is right, many of us are deeply embedded. We might keep fixating on distant "right vs. wrong," judging instead of doing, condemned to remain human sofa-dents: faces backlit by screens, existence reduced to sleepless chatter and corporate metrics.
But it doesn't have to be you. Start small. Notice the judgment craving. Close the tab. Look up. What one tangible thing can you do for your patch today?
The engine driving this? Our ego. It craves the dopamine hit of moral certainty. Algorithms detect which flavors our egos prefer—Ukraine with stoicism, America with "can-do" spirit—and feed us endless portions. Like junk food, this "information" addicts us to distant dramas. Meanwhile, our real responsibilities—the people, places, and choices right in front of us—starve for attention.
We forget: information should help us assess and choose. Instead, we're trapped judging "good vs. bad" about things irrelevant to our lives.
So how do we stop? Get off the judgment bus.
* The system dangles moral-flavored bait to hook our egos.
* Unless an issue *directly* affects our resources or responsibilities, why invest energy?
* Even when we helplessly engage, does it deserve 1%... or 5%... of our waking hours? It certainly shouldn’t exceed 20%—the grim "screen-time norm" these systems optimize for.
This shift is especially critical for us Americans. We judge the world while rarely examining our own reflection. Historically, we’re unique: a continent-scale nation and global empire built on ethnic cleansing; the sole user of nuclear weapons; the sole controller of global dollar flows—able to 'sanction' and seize billions from anyone, anywhere, without oversight. We fund coups and assassinations while our media paints us as freedom’s defenders. We weaponize this sanitized self-image. It shields us from the complex reality of our actions and power. Facing this history isn't about guilt; it's the painful self-awareness essential for a path of right choices, genuine growth and responsible sovereignty.
As a citizen of both Earth and the U.S., I see most judgments of "right/wrong" made in mirrorless rooms. Churning thoughts around a big picture out of control. I am just one thread in a vast quilt. All that—is not my problem.
This isn't abdicating responsibility. It’s recognizing the simple, unglamorous truth: the only way to mend the whole is to tend its countless parts. Reality is lame, but true. So I focus on the real—what I can reach: the people, places, and resources nearby.
* If I align my actions there—doing all I can to better my small patch—then I am doing all I can.
* Think about it: if you abandon those closest, who will tend them?
* And if your own patch is weak... how can the chain hold?
Imagine the clarity and energy unlocked by releasing the burden of global judgment and channeling it locally.
The sobering counterpoint? Even focusing on our small piece is hard—often beyond our immediate capability. Media offers the seductive illusion of power: tweets and comments feel potent. But it's just mental masturbation. Tweets can't clean a sheet.
If the algorithmic feedlot is right, many of us are deeply embedded. We might keep fixating on distant "right vs. wrong," judging instead of doing, condemned to remain human sofa-dents: faces backlit by screens, existence reduced to sleepless chatter and corporate metrics.
But it doesn't have to be you. Start small. Notice the judgment craving. Close the tab. Look up. What one tangible thing can you do for your patch today?