Autumn should be the season of pumpkin spice lattes, football, and falling leaves. But this year, politics has replaced football as our primary November concern — but it shouldn’t. Election season gives us the opportunity to become better educated on our political processes, but obsessively following the news cycle can come at the expense of our peace.
Ditch some of the political debates and doomscrolling, as I’ve done since coming to Hillsdale from D.C. Instead enjoy all the holiday season has to offer.
Opting out of the political news cycle black hole saves you from information overload and frees up space for doing what is within your power to help the people in front of you.
I was raised in Washington, D.C., a political minefield. It’s home to some of the most powerful people on Earth, as well as some of the craziest. Living in the capital is a bizarre experience because to some extent the fate of the Western world is decided in my home town, sometimes by people who attended my church, coached my basketball games, and whose kids I babysat.
Growing up in this environment is definitely stimulating. At 14, I started reading the print Wall Street Journal every day in order to understand and contribute to the adult discussions around me. I listened to political podcasts, and researched hot topics. I wasn’t the only one: COVID, BLM, and the accompanying unrest sparked early political awareness in all my peers. There was an expectation that you have an opinion on Trump, abortion, women in combat, and so on — and that you be ready to defend all of your thoughts.
In comparison, Hillsdale is a refreshing change of pace. Hillsdale students have strong opinions and defend them but also possess a level of respect that prevents politics from taking over every conversation. I have friends here whose political opinions are a closed book to me. That’s awesome.
At home during fall break, I read my first newspaper in two months. As I shook my head over the state of our country, I realized that I have become accustomed to the calm of not constantly knowing what’s going on. News and political information is ubiquitous — and deafening. Whether it’s politician parodies or attack ads, the election aftermath is seemingly inescapable.
Embrace the joy of missing out. While it seems scary to be out of the loop, it can actually be wonderful and, more importantly, peaceful. Not to get all hippie, but humans weren’t made to constantly know what’s happening on a national level. Sure, we are political beings, but that doesn’t have to mean our peace is tied to the actions of politicians we don’t know.
Focus more on local government. Get involved in the political drama of your library, because it’s there. Vote on sidewalk policies and stroller regulation instead of fuming about foreign affairs. Serve in the community, make friends, help at church, and live a normal human life regardless of who’s in the White House.
Mother Teresa once said, “it is easy to love humanity, but it is hard to love the person in front of you,” and this is just as applicable to politics. It’s easy to want to change the nation, but our neighborhoods need our attention first.
That seems more manageable anyway — so silence those news notifications and step outside.
Charlotte O‘Beirne is a freshman studying the liberal arts.
