“It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”
My mind has been fixated on these R.E.M. lyrics recently. How could they not be?
While the song comes from a time of VCR’s and Iron Curtains, it still resonates today for so many reasons:
- The holidays are over
- The National Football League playoffs are nearing their emotional apex
- America’s most polarizing president has recently taken the oath of office
Yes, the dead of winter seems to be high time for an emotional diaspora. Some of us will look at these events and say the world is ending, while others will act as if they’ve never felt finer.
There is no middle ground.
This all might be a reflection of our increasingly divided society. It could also be an inevitable outcome in a world where technology gives us all a platform to raise our voice, and our culture demands we do so as boldly as possible.
But in the midst of the hot air, the juxtaposed emotions, the feverish debate around these events, we must ask ourselves:
Isn’t this all a bit overblown?
To be sure, proceedings in the White House matter. The actions on a gridiron matter. The changing of the seasons matters.
These events can all be uplifting or distressing, depending on your perspective. After all, we’re emotional beings who have great passion for our city, our country and our views — along with those who we feel represent them in the realm of competition. However, these events shouldn’t be viewed as the sign of the apocalypse, or as cause for physical ailments.
That’s taking it too far.
For regardless of how we might feel at the moment, the sun will rise tomorrow morning in the east and set tomorrow evening in the west. It’s done this for millions of years, and will continue to do so for millions more.
This is more than the manifestation of an inevitable pattern. It’s a reminder that no matter how dark the night, the first light of dawn is just around the corner. A beacon illuminating that this too shall pass.
Yes, humankind and the world itself have been through trials and tribulations. Yet both have persevered, time and again.
So, let’s avoid overblown. Let’s step away from the hyperbole, from the punishment we inflict on ourselves when things don’t go the way our heart desired them to. If we refocus that energy on aspects of life we can directly control, the world will be better for it.
And so will ours.