Splash No. 134 - New Year?
New Year?
I intended my first letter of the year to be something forward-looking — hopefully gazing into the distance, forgetting some of the horrors of the past year in favor of the possibilities of the future. But here we are, reminded that the passage of time doesn’t absolve us of the world that we live in — that we still live in a crumbling political system that fails to serve its citizens, that we’re still weathering a pandemic, that it will take some time before things start to feel better in the world. Until then, we can simply lick our wounds, continue to support the positive movements in whatever ways we can, and preserve ourselves and those close to us.
In the last few weeks, I abandoned tweets and tiktoks for their slower, longer cousins: books and movies. With all of the free time of my holiday break, I read seven books and watched twelve films. And it felt fantastic! After constantly bombarding myself with information at all times throughout the year, my December was a calm time, where I gave myself room to stick with a piece of media for a little longer and really live with it. I let my brain marinate in the poetry or the cinematography. And so, entering 2021, my only real resolution was to continue that trend: more slow consumption.
It only took six days of the year to throw me off track. In contrast to my goal, Wednesday’s events brought me the alternative to my resolution — a day of endless doomscrolling through Twitter accompanied by a cacophony of political pundits and reporters. I bathed in cortisol and could only rip my eyes from my screen long enough to endlessly stuff my face with unhealthy snacks. Now, I lay in my bed at the end of the day, marginally more informed and with the feeling of a cartoon anvil on my chest.
I wonder if I know anything more than I did a few hours ago. I’ve read countless articles, thousands of tweets, and hours of news coverage and I’ve learned so few things that make me feel like a more informed citizen or that I could take action on concretely. I don’t want to just stick my head in the sand, but there should be a balanced approach. Specifically, I feel like I’d probably be better off without eight hours of news consumption in a given day and that I was probably onto something with a goal of consuming slower media.
So, going forward, I’m going to try harder to read romance novels and indie films where absolutely nothing happens instead of losing my mind in the news. Hopefully, that helps with my sanity. You should try it, too.
~Fun Announcement~
I made a zine of my favorite Splash letters from last year, which you can find here. Would love it if you checked it out!
Drops of the Week
PLAYLIST - splish splash - Co-star told me to make a playlist for a friend for them to take a bath to, so I did
ARTICLE - "Republican Elites Are Responsible for Today’s Storming of the Capitol" by Luke Savage - you know how it is
FILM - Columbus - quiet and calm
The new president may not be a white supremacist, but there's still work to be done. With each day, we move closer to a more equitable world. Reminders:
Ways you can help Mutual Aid Networks
Anti-racism resources
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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah,
Nikhil