No Matter What, Come November 6th

An invitation to a news fast

Photo by Steve Houghton-Burnett on Unsplash

Damn elections.

In my previous career as a local TV news producer, I had the pleasure interesting experience of working inside a newsroom through multiple election seasons, starting in 2014 and thankfully ending after the 2020 presidential election. To say I’m grateful to have left that mess behind is an immense understatement. Being enveloped by the political nonsense a campaign season brings for the better part of five years does something to a person. These campaign cycles left me cynical and jaded about the whole process; a result I’m not entirely sure I’ll overcome. But 2024 has been different.

It was Friday, July 12th, when a co-worker asked me a general question about the ongoing presidential election and how I think it may play out, given President Biden’s unbelievably disastrous “debate¹.” While trying to avoid the prediction game or taking a side², I intentionally danced around the question and eventually made this observation: “Honestly, what bothers me is how quiet this election season has been. Trump’s been tied up in his legal troubles and hasn’t been campaigning much. Biden hasn’t campaigned much because he can barely finish a sentence. With them flying so low it’s been pretty boring. I’m not going to try to predict anything because who knows what will happen between now and November, but I am afraid all hell may break loose.” Former president Donald Trump was shot in a failed assassination attempt the very next day.

All the talking heads responded as they should. The “right people” said the “right things” and mostly condemned the attempt on Trump’s life. There were delicately worded messages from our “leaders” trying to soothe the stress of the moment while also leaving the door open for everyone to jump right back into the vitriol we’ve come to expect in the past decade.

And now, more than a month later, the incumbent president quit his race for a second term, and here we are with less than 100 days until votes are cast. I mean, as the kids would say, we went from 0 to 100 real quick. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I can’t see how we slow down from here. See…this is the cynical part of me speaking now, but in two weeks no one will be talking about the failed assassination attempt, Biden’s dropping out or Harris’ rising to the top of the Democratic party. No way. In no time, I wager there will be some new great distraction vying for your attention. I’m begging you now, pay it no mind. Please don’t reward the beast with any of your attention. Your heart, soul, mind, and strength are of better use almost anywhere.

An Invitation

Long-time readers will remember that I cut all news consumption some time ago. It’s obvious from reading to this point that I’ve let my guard down recently and watched/ read a bit of news. Until the past month or so (around the debate) I’ve been on an extremely strict no-news “diet.” No watching the news on TV or YouTube. No visiting news websites. No hovering over silly headlines on social media. Nothing. Aside from reading the occasional local newspaper article, as required for my job, I have had almost no news in my life for more than a year³. And I’ll be the first to admit my relapse into news consumption has done me absolutely no good. It’s increased my screen time, hindered my ability to focus, and left me irritable and nervous about the state of humanity. But it need not be so. So, to regain a sense of peace, I’ve decided to cut news again, cold turkey and I’m inviting all of my readers to join me.

I’m recommitting right now, barring an absolute national tragedy, to a total news fast until Wednesday, November 6. Yes, I do think it will be acceptable to look into the news a bit the day after election day. I am an American after all and have to live under whoever the next president will be. So in that case, I think a minimum amount of news consumption is permissible. But until then, it’s no news for me, and I hope you will join me. Here are a few reasons you should consider a news fast, in no particular order:

• If you plan on exercising your right to vote, you’ve likely already decided on whom you will vote for, and it is unlikely any event or development on the campaign trail will sway you from that decision. So if your mind’s made up, freeing yourself from the news of the campaigns will release you from the unnecessary stress brought on by a candidate’s flub or by a legacy media outlet misconstruing your candidate’s stance on whatever issue. Simply put, if finding a candidate is not an issue for you, your attention and energy will be of better use in solving a different problem.

• The news will always be of general concern but will most likely not involve you personally. This sounds cold, but it’s a good thing to put a little distance between you and the world’s problems. People in the hills of Tennessee were never meant to worry over every advancement of Russian troops in Ukraine. Just as the people in London were never meant to agonize over a police-involved shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It’s not that you can’t or shouldn’t pray for those in harm’s way throughout the world. You absolutely should pray for those people. But to constantly immerse yourself in overwhelmingly negative information does nothing to tangibly help those in danger and makes you less helpful to those whose lives you could actually be working to improve. Simply put, offloading the broader problems of the world will make it easier to help your own neighborhood. And if you are personally involved in a newsworthy situation you’ll know it before the camera crews do.

• Very little truly changes from day to day. Yes, there will be days of legitimate breaking news, both locally and of national concern. I won’t fault anybody for tuning into any news network when “the unimaginable” happens, like the attempted assassination of any political candidate. But most days are beautifully boring. Not much happens when you live closer to human speed, away from the blaring screens. The urgency one usually feels while paying attention to media outlets is brought on by these absurd “reporters” telling you what their anonymous sources suspect will happen next. So instead of giving you the gist of what’s already taken place, they present you with grave speculation about what’s expected, again, about things that have no measurable impact on your life. This goes back a bit to my point above that most of the “news” has nothing to do with you. I don’t need to know if the FBI uncovers a documented motive behind the attempted assassination of President Trump. Those details don’t help me pay bills, buy groceries, or maintain my home. Now I’m not saying it’s wrong, in general, for some people to have that information. But unless you’re a family member of the shooter, connected to the victim, or a law enforcement officer tasked with refining the profile of a would-be assassin, this information is not useful to you. Simply put, escaping the day-to-day nuances of national news will reduce stress, and help you to appreciate the mundane of your life.

• Forget the FOMO (fear of missing out) and embrace the JOMO (joy of missing out). Seriously, fear not; the news will find you. As most people don’t avoid the news, they’re likely to bring up something of interest while you’re having a conversation. “OM gosh, did you hear about _?” For example, I’ve written before about how I found out about Hamas’ atrocious terror attack on Israel. When world events of magnitude occur, they naturally become the topic of conversation and there’s just no avoiding them. And you’ll find you “miss out” on things you never cared about in the first place. “Did you see what that rapper lady-person did at Kamala’s campaign stop in Atlanta?” To which you could reply, “No. And I’m glad I didn’t.” And this works on the local level too. The best way to find out about what’s happening where you live is to talk to your neighbors. So stop scrolling through Twitter to find out what’s going on in the Middle East, but instead, say hello to Janet in accounting and you’ll likely find out about what’s happening just miles from where you live. The joy of missing out is the result of a clearer mind and a slower pace of life. As stated above, the absence of news helps to make you feel more in the present and more connected to what is happening around you. I encourage you to pull yourself away from the screen and go for a short walk instead. Moving without computers in hand makes the world around you seem much less daunting. Simply put, opting out of the news helps to clear your mind of unnecessary information.

• No matter what, come November 6th all Christians will have the same goals. Let’s expand on this below.

If you have confessed your sins, asked Jesus Christ for forgiveness, and live in a manner that exalts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of all, then what happens on or after election day is of little consequence to you. No matter what, come November 6th you’ll still be saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. No matter what, come November 6th you’ll still have family to take care of and a job to work as unto the Lord at. No matter what, come November 6th you’ll still have the hungry to feed, the thirsty to give drink, and the naked to clothe. No matter what, come November 6th you’ll still have the orphan, the poor, and the widowed to care for.

No matter what, come November 6th, you’re still commanded to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. You’re still expected to love your neighbor as yourself. No matter what, come November 6th, you’ll still have the task of making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded us, loving each other until the very end of the age.

So my advice is this; stop watching the news and start praying. Pray for those running for office and those currently in power. Pray for those tasked with securing the candidate’s lives. Pray that you could be a better neighbor to those at home. Pray that no matter what, come November 6th, the United States can move on peacefully and that our differences can be handled with civility. Civility may seem impossible, but nothing is impossible with God. Will He permit this? Time will tell.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

Psalm 146: 3-5 

1. We should really stop calling these things debates. Bickerings, maybe? Or just roasts?

2. Because seriously, these are the best candidates we can produce?

3. Aside from Hamas’ terror attack on Israel.