Before the electronic age made it possible to send messages around the world in a matter of seconds, people could go about their business completely unaware of momentous or catastrophic events happening in another part of the world until long after the fact when there was no need for an immediate response.  Today, we witness horrific events in real time and often feel like we need to react, to ‘do something’ even though we are impotent to impact what plays out before our eyes. I suppose this is what leads so many to post impulsive reactions on social media.

     We develop a variety of defenses against the frustration we feel from the constant awareness of events beyond our control. Some of us become calloused and fail to react appropriately even to happenings in our own neighborhood. Others turn away from all real-world news and escape into entertainment or fantasy.

     While this response to news overload is understandable, it is an abdication of our responsibility to ourselves and society. Ignoring current events, rather than doing whatever we can to make them better, hurts everyone.

     Keeping our focus isn’t easy in the modern world, but when we allow distractions to divert us from our responsibilities and our possibilities, we fail to accomplish our goals.