By Dennis Merritt Jones, DD
OVERWHELMED WITH TMI? This Is Where We Draw the Line
Have you ever been infected with TMI? It’s a new dis-ease permeating the fabric of our collective consciousness and it’s gradually wearing a deep hole in the soul of humankind. TMI overload, known as “Too Much Information,” could be dubbed the “new pandemic” because of its rapid and contagious spread. TMI is transmitted through most television and social media outlets, which have become subliminal vectors that know how to conflate and distort apparent facts with flagrant misinformation. The problem is that it does so in a manner that seduces us into the drama of “ain’t it bad?” The danger is that if too much “ain’t it bad” seeps into our subconscious minds, it distorts our perception of reality, and life becomes all about looking for (and expecting) more “ain’t it bad?”
The good news is there’s an inoculation for TMI, but a word of caution; there are a few side effects that come with taking this form of preventive medicine. The side effects from the inoculation can make certain folks very antsy and irritable. A sudden withdrawal from TMI can include an aberrant blend of loneliness, angst, crankiness, curiosity, and depression. The good news is that a deep sense of inner peace usually sets in after the first 24 hours. Albeit painful for some people, the inoculation is readily available. It can be accessed by turning off the television, minimizing our time on social media, and judiciously limiting our relationships with those who want to regurgitate the latest news (gossip) because they think we simply can’t live without it.
The question I am dancing with is, where do we draw the line between being well informed and entertained – and getting sucked into the TMI vortex which, too often, draws us into the gravitational pull of the mindless, negative news cycle? Why is it we find it so difficult to turn off the TV or disconnect from social media more often than we do? Could we be addicted to TMI? Could it be that, at some level, it makes us feel better to know that others may be worse off than ourselves? If so, it may be “schadenfreude” leaking through the hole in our souls. Maintaining a high capacity for compassion and understanding for what others are going through is crucial at this time on our planet because it helps remind us we are all in this together. The question is, how can we be more mindful of our oneness without exacerbating the TMI drama?
We can begin by remembering that television and social media weren’t invented to entertain us or even deliver the news; they were created to sell us “stuff.”
Regardless of if it is products or information they are selling, the goal is to convert viewers and readers into consumers and customers. While TV can be highly addicting when it teams up with social media, it’s especially salacious to the mind seeking stimulation and diversion. Be it television or social media, diversion and division are the name of the game and TMI is the vector.
Fortunately, PBS and similar programing are helping to mitigate TMI, but they struggle for funding. Why? Because, sadly, diversion, fear, and division rather than education and inspiration generate more income. Some might say, let’s create more “feel-good social media and news platforms.” Admittedly, it feels good to hear and see good news, so why isn’t there more of it? The media don’t want to overload us with too much feel-good because it’s bad for business; we, as a culture, are addicted to the drama and they know it. The great news is, with mindfulness and conscious choices, TMI is a completely preventable dis-ease.
Perhaps it’s time to consider what we are choosing to allow into our minds.
Peace, Dennis Merritt Jones, DD