Can We Do Anything About the State of the World?
- Peta-Gaye Nash
- Mar 18
- 3 min read
Someone told me a long time ago that when dealing with this world of cancel culture and social media, it is best to not write anything that can upset anyone and that means staying far away from politics. This is not a political blog. It’s just that I’m having trouble breathing these days. Scrolling through social media is like scrolling through a landmine of fear, hate and divisiveness, littered with the trivial, the mundane and consumerism. Young, old, and in between are affected by decisions our leaders make and sometimes we have absolutely no control over the decisions being made around us.
The relationship between the US and Canadian governments is strained. From my doom scrolling on social media, I’ve read that some Canadians wouldn’t mind Canada becoming the 51st state. Others say ‘never' and that this is highly unlikely, but history shows us that the most unimaginable events are possible.
I remember when I was learning about Canadian history and the war of 1812, I used to think that since this happened in the past, it could happen again. My imagination would take me on a frightening journey of this possible war, wondering how we would navigate such an event, since many of us have friends and family on both sides of the border. Without going into the long and detailed history of the war of 1812 between the US and Britain (which included Canada), the US invaded Canada several times. Interestingly, the origins of this war started with the conflict in Europe that caused Britain to adopt measures that angered the United States.
At the time that I was learning about Canadian history, I was teaching English to newcomers. Many of my students were refugees. I remember wondering, “what if something unimaginable happened like a war between the US and Canada and we became refugees? Where would we go or be sent? How would it be to start over in a country where maybe we didn’t speak the language and couldn’t get jobs to provide for our families? Would my family even survive such an ordeal?” I looked around my classroom at my students. They didn’t control the events that led them to refugee status. Voting didn’t matter. Standing up and making your voice heard didn’t matter. The leaders in power dictated the course of history. If it happened there, it could happen here. If it already happened in 1812, it could happen again.
This doesn’t mean one shouldn’t vote, be an active participant in one’s community and try to make the world a better place. It means that sometimes we really have no control over the decisions that are being made around us. It means that when we agonize over what might happen and what seems to be happening, our bodies go into a state of fear (the fight, flight or freeze response) and it leaves us exhausted. Yes, we are affected by tariffs, job losses, economic instability and the possibility that the world as we know it might change drastically. At the same time, we have to look after ourselves more than ever. Stress physically affects the body with headaches, muscle pain, chest pain, fatigue, stomach upsets, sleep problems and getting sick due to weaker immune systems. Stress also affect us mentally with anxiety, lack of focus and motivation, memory problems, feeling overwhelmed, anger and sadness or depression.
I’m not saying we should ignore the news, nor stop standing up for causes important to us. I’m saying guard where your attention goes. Find time to socialize in person with friends and family. Do things you love. Continue to live, improving your skill set and employability. Pretend you live in a world where smart phones don’t exist for at least a few hours a day. Go outside. Walk. Hike. Run. Play cards. Sew. Sail. Scuba dive. Write poetry. Build a train set. Make a new recipe. Connect with friends. What I’m saying is, live. Live like today is the only day you’ve got.
