That is some good advice. They say that ignorance is bliss, and while I am not ignorant nor am I completely blissful, I like to think that I am a relatively informed and happy guy. This isn't because I do not care about the perils of the world or allow myself to feel pain or remorse as a result of them, it's because I also take comfort in the joys of the world. I sincerely think that if the everyday good, decent and downright angelic deeds of our fellow humans were compelling enough to warrant press coverage, there'd be less cynicism. More good than bad happens from my estimation. Naive? Nope, in fact I think it's the opposite view that is naive. Also, who you calling an amateur? I've made hundreds of hundreds of dollars from music. :) Actually, my best moments with music have involved charitable concerts. The New Green raised over $6k for two causes, Re-Member and for a friend battling cancer. The plight of the Native American, the fact that so many battle cancer, these things can make you cynical but when you see how many people care to effect positive change, you realize the good out there too. I'm a cup half full kind of guy.
I guess in a way I'm saying "ignorance is bliss", but i think (and I think you get this, I'm not trying to infer that you don't) that it's a slightly more nuanced version. I don't really ignore the things that i'm "not giving a fuck about", I'm just accepting that a human only has so much energy, and so much mental capacity to concentrate on the things that matter. I think part of the reason we become so cynical is that we attempt to deal with and care about so many things at once that we become overwhelmed, and we allow the problems and faults of the world to swallow us. If we focus on fewer problems more intensely, I feel we can do more good. I'm reminded of a parable I once read. I have no idea if the author is actually some 10th century monk as quoted here, but the words ring true to my personal philosophy, and why I really do believe in working towards #ourbestselves. I wanted to change the world
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town.
I couldn’t change the town
and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly
I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family.
My family and I could have made an impact on our town.
Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
- Written by an unknown Monk around 1100 A.D.
This is the part that I struggle with. In my own mind I'm some sort of superman who has the mental energy/ emotional capacity to mourn (And then attempt to fix) everything. It almost feels selfish sometimes to just pick those things that I would call 'close to my heart.' I mean, the career that I'm pursuing is the issue that I care most about that I think I can make an actual difference doing, but it very rarely feels like enough. Also, when I wrote this yesterday, I was having a pretty shitty day coming out of a not stellar weekend. When I'm feeling down all the little mental stuff I swear that I have beaten back comes surging up at once and it can feel overwhelming. The cool part, and the big difference between now and say, a year or two ago when I was at my psychological nadir, is that now, I can recognize a bad mood early, I recognize an unhealthy impulse early, and know that I can control it, the sooner I recognize it, the easier it is to manage. Like yesterday, it sucked, I got home, talked about it, had a beer(Instead of 6 beers), watched Jurassic Park and went to bed. I DIDN'T beat myself up for not handling things perfectly, for making mistakes. Which again, is pretty neat. And I think I've done a pretty good job so far of not letting a shitty start to the week ruin the whole week. I'm just accepting that a human only has so much energy, and so much mental capacity to concentrate on the things that matter.