i worry about so many things that are valid to worry about, but it’s too much to keep up with

since i have a medical condition that leaves me pretty bound to my house, i spend a lot of time on the internet. because i spend a lot of time on the internet, i consume a lot of media and i’m very active in social media spaces. with every game creator or musical artist that i consume the content of, there’s always the question of if someone/something is problematic. i worry about that question a lot, and it seems like there’s nothing that isn’t problematic these days. my issue is that i’ve found myself avoiding going to research if something is problematic. if there’s a concern that something may be problematic i should be looking into it immediately, but that’s just not what i’ve been doing and it makes me feel like a bad person because of it. i’ve ignored so much drama with certain people that isn’t silly drama, it’s real crimes and frightening ideals that are mentioned. i’ve gotten to the point where me wondering if someone is problematic or recalling someone saying that a creator is problematic is so common that i can’t tend to every worry and i end up doing nothing. it’s also common that people keep doing bad things so often that everything i watch or listen to ends up having some sort of issue. i feel like i’m going to go crazy if i have nothing to spend my time on, especially since i haven’t left the house in forever… i don’t know the morally correct decision in this situation

Anonymous

Date posted: 12h

I don't have a whole solution here. But there's that Serenity poem... "Give me the serenity to accept the things I can't change, The courage to change the things that I can, And the wisdom to know the difference." So instead of worrying over EVERY little thing, accept that there's ethical violations everywhere, you can't possibly address all of them, and you're powerless to impact most of them anyway. (Or does that powerlessness just exacerbate the ocd? Lol I'm not sure.) Just focus on a couple places where you can actually have meaningful impact, and focus your energy there. Don't spread yourself thin trying to donate a few dollars here and unsubscribe from an immoral channel there; just choose one or two places where the dedicated focus of one person can make a meaningful difference. Then let yourself slide on whether you're making the right choice with everything else. One person dedicating themeslves to one cause has WAY more moral impact than one person contributing to a lot of things in tiny ways. This is how you solve the question of "how can I be a good person when there's too much evil for one person to keep track of?" I don't know if that will just move your worrying elsewhere though. If you'll now just be overthinking whether THIS is where you can make meaningful change or not. But maybe once you've dedicated yourself to something, you'll want to keep your energy there instead of letting other causes distract you from the real impact you're making? Also, you mentioned being homebound. That's a really tough situation. People need face-to-face interaction, and isolation makes mental health deteriorate. Is there any way you can host a charity in your home? A lot of local groups struggle to find a venue they can meet at. You could host Emotions Anonymous meetings, or social activism meetups, or a group that knits hats for cancer patients, or something? Some local group that aligns with your moral values. Then you'd be contributing something crucial to the cause by giving them a place to meet, and of course by participating the way everyone else is too. And you'd have a social group without leaving your home.

anon7336474864

Date posted: 2h

thanks for your message! about your last question, the issues that i focus on regarding activism and social issues differ from my parents’ opinions, which could stir up a lot of conflict in the house if i hosted some sort of event they knew about. the charity for people like cancer patients might work out, but i don’t know if one of my parents will go crazy and try to tell the people or patients involved that you can actually cure cancer or something. it’s pretty hard to find something to advocate for publicly without my parents telling me there’s an easier way to cure their ailments or them just not agreeing with my activism at all…

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