The trigger for my doom-scrolling today was news of a alleged gangster and former MP being gunned down while in a police custody. A few days earlier, his son had been killed in an encounter in the same god-forsaken state. I am aware how bad social media is for one's mental health. It informs you of everything wrong that is happening in the world, and the manner in which the information is conveyed is meant to arouse your passions. Social media is a great tool for activism, but if you are prone to cynicism and fatalism, then it can be very draining. I realise that life hasn't changed for my upper-middle-class bubble in India, apart from the worsening heat, pollution and traffic. And, it also true that when you are living in India, the chaos drowns out some of the bad news. I am also aware that fresh hells explode materialize in different parts of the world every day. People are killed, maimed, stricken by serious illness, and, if they survive their lives are irrevocably changed. But, I don't need to hear about all of them as callous as that sounds. Its perfectly possible to get worked up about the state of the world regularly without lifting a finger to do something about it. Either lift a finger or don't get worked up. I need to get better at moderating my consumption of news, which is no easy feat, given that I am news junkie. But, like with most things in life, practice helps.
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