Combating the Weltschmerz
"Weltschmerz (German: [ˈvɛltʃmɛɐ̯ts]; literally "world-pain") is a literary concept describing the feeling experienced by an individual who believes that reality can never satisfy the expectations of the mind, resulting in 'a mood of weariness or sadness about life arising from the acute awareness of evil and suffering.'" — Wikipedia
To be fair, the world stopped living up to my expectations a long time ago. I suppose this is just part of getting older. Lately, though, things have gone beyond merely disappointing; they’ve started actively denying and opposing those expectations.
Many of us are buckling up. It's going to be a bumpy ride. The sort of nonsense I see the Republicans in power getting up to is both infuriating and heartbreaking. I worry for my friends and my children.
Adding to this is the forcible removal of the masks that certain popular figures have been wearing. It only deepens the despair and disappointment. One of those people once gave a speech about making good art. I can barely type that now without feeling disgust.
But... life must go on. I’ve got to find a way to cope, then make it better. I resent the idea of giving up.
Project-Based Mental Health
I'm going to find things to work on—things that make something better, even in a small way.
The sheer number of my friends dealing with depression and anhedonia has hit an all-time high. These are fun, talented, and gifted creative people, but this confluence of terrible events has been devastating for them. I’m going to find things to do with them, if they want to join in.
- I'm in the process of designing a new campaign world for my D&D group, all of whom have explicitly stated they would prefer some proper high-fantasy questing. So, we're going to do that. This world will provide a little shelter, a small respite for people I care about. I’ll try not to add any social commentary if I can help it.
- I'm going to visit my friendly local gaming and book stores to meet people and participate in events. This move has been hard on me. The only person I’ve spoken to in person regularly is my wife, and she thinks I’m starting to get a little weird. (Just a little?) I need to get out into my community and see what I can do to help.
- I'm going to build some things. My good friend David and I have been talking about working on something for years, and Evo has been very patiently waiting for progress on a project he pitched me almost a year ago. We’ll start there and see where it takes us.
- I'm going to work more within the Fediverse to build the world I want to see. It won’t be for everyone, and that’s fine. I have no idea where or how to start, but I’m done sitting on the sidelines.
About That Podcast
I said I was going to start my own little podcast. I’m not an entertainer, and I have no interest in playing the popular podcasting game. For the past month, I’ve been trying to figure out what it’s going to be. I’ve gone through at least four titles and concepts, but none of them are topics I want to talk about all the time. I’m eclectic, so the podcast will be too. It’ll also be rough and unprofessional because I don’t feel like trying to compete with NPR. It’s coming—just as soon as I record that first episode.
Conclusion
When I start getting down, I stay there until I can get angry about it, and I’m there now. It’s good fuel. It knocks me out of my complacency. I’ll never be a tech leader, a role model, or a famous public figure, but if anything I can do helps my people get through these next four-plus years, it will be time well spent.
Don’t let the bastards grind you down. Hack the planet.