BALANCE

Is It Okay to Talk About Joy: While the World Burns?

Everywhere I look lately there is war, outrage, division, fear, suffering, uncertainty, destruction.

• Countries bombing each other

• Children dying

• Politics becoming religion

• Fear becoming entertainment

And then there I am posting about:

• Critérium du Dauphiné

• The World Cup

• A sunset

• A good meal

• The Oregon coast

• A moment of peace

Part of me wonders:

• Am I disconnected?

• Insensitive?

• Missing the gravity of what’s happening in the world?

But maybe the real question is this:

• If we stop talking about beauty, connection, sport, art, laughter, food, music, or simple human moments, then what exactly are we trying to save?

Lately it feels like every institution is cracking.

• Wars stream live into our phones.

• Government corruption no longer shocks anyone.

• Human trafficking exists in places we once called civilized.

• The Epstein story exposed how power often protects itself.

• Even conversations once dismissed as conspiracy or science fiction now move into mainstream discussion. 

Whether every headline is true, exaggerated, manipulated, or misunderstood almost feels secondary to the deeper reality:

• People no longer know what to trust anymore.

• And maybe that uncertainty is what exhausts us most.

Not just the darkness, but the feeling that the ground beneath us keeps moving.

The world now arrives in our pockets twenty-four hours a day.

• Every tragedy

• Every outrage

• Every opinion

• Every disaster

• Every fear

Human beings were never designed to emotionally process the suffering of the entire planet in real time.

And somewhere along the way many of us started feeling guilty for experiencing anything beautiful while someone else somewhere is suffering.

But human beings have always lived inside contradiction, even during wars:

• People still gathered around tables

• They still fell in love

• Still laughed

• Still sang songs

• Still played games

• Still searched for meaning

• Still prayed for tomorrow

Joy is not betrayal. Sometimes joy is resistance. Not the shallow kind of distraction that ignores suffering, but the kind that reminds us we are still human beneath all the noise.

So when someone posts a photo from a bike ride, a soccer match, a family dinner, or a sunset, maybe that is not denial.

Maybe it is remembrance.

A reminder that beneath all the systems, scandals, propaganda, corruption, fear, algorithms, and endless noise, there is still an actual human life happening.

• A real conversation

• A shared meal

• A hug

• A laugh

• A sporting event 

• A quiet sunrise

• Connection

• Intimacy

And maybe protecting those small moments of humanity matters now more than ever.

So yes:

• Stay awake

• Stay informed

• Critically think

• Listen without judgment

• Stay vigilant

• Be mindful

• Stay present 

• Walk with purpose

• Stay compassionate

• Stay hopeful

But also:

• Watch the game

• Ride the bike

• Travel to Africa

• Paddle board

• Do epic shit

• Hug your people

• Go to the concert

• Surf

• Play pickleball

• Call your mother

• Laugh when something is funny

Keep creating moments worth living for. Because when darkness spreads, small lights become everything.

One love