Escaping Political Addiction
I love writing about politics. I love explaining complex dynamics to people who are curious. I love finding the nuance in big conversations. I love getting compliments on my insights, and I love feeling like I’m helping people navigate the confusing and oftentimes scary world of politics. I love knowing what’s going on, I love bonding with other people over a common discussion.
But I’m also addicted to it, and I know it’s unhealthy. I spend too much time and effort following every last little twist and turn in the political soap opera. And I know it’s bringing me a lot more stress than it does joy.
So I’m leaving Twitter, Reddit, Memeorandum, and FiveThirtyEight. I’m no longer writing political articles or consuming political hot takes. And when my friends want to talk about politics, I’m going to try to find ways to not get into it. In some cases it might be like an alcoholic realising his drinking buddies disappear once he goes sober. But in most cases I’m sure we’ll find other things to talk about.
I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be scary and awkward at first, but in time I hope to bring my political addiction under control. Wish me luck.
[Edit: 15 seconds after posting this, I almost checked to see what Trump was ranting about on Twitter. I barely stopped myself. One little victory at a time!]
