How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division

This is a powerful read on how our minds and defences are all too often overwhelmed, how we are consumed with anger and exhausted by anxiety. We’re frightened to find ourselves all alone. Hence being part of a collective (referred to as group narcissism) feels more anchored and less anxiety-inducing. This has been accelerated by social media and digital communication. Those platforms aren’t used to listen or to learn or to discover anything new; they are there to make a point, to lecture, protest and rage.

Unfortunately, Shafak is right in saying that ‘today the faith that tomorrow will be better than yesterday is simply no more’. Expectations are falling. Young adults today are more worried than ever. Ours is the age of contagious anxiety, which has a major impact on our mental health and well-being.

Life is overwhelming but it’s mostly through stories that we learn to think, perceive, feel and remember the world in a more nuanced and reflective way.

A fantastic read on finding answers on how we can stay sane in the age of division.