TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
the political sphere. But I do know fear. I know anxiety. I know what it feels like to wake up and feel paralyzed by what you can’t control. And I know that this country—this world—feels so incredibly heavy right now. I have found myself slipping into cynicism more than I’m comfortable admitting. I swore when I was a kid that I would never be that person, but it can be difficult to always see the bright side. The internet tells me to be terrified, that I should wake up angry, that I should be fighting with my second cousin in the comments section about policy issues we both barely understand. I wholeheartedly reject that. Not because I don’t care, but because I know my mindset is everything and dictates so much about my life. Think about it like going to the gym. (I know, wild pivot, but just stay with me.) The gym is a place of potential—a place to grow. But for most of us, it feels like punishment. We associate it with work, sweat, and exhaustion. Are there honey butter chicken biscuits there? No? Then I’m not interested. But for the people who commit to the gym, they don’t just see it as a burden. They see it as a path. They view it as a way to become the best version of themselves, and that’s how I’ve started viewing the world. If I wake up every day and expect the worst, I will find it. But if I choose growth, if I shift my mindset, suddenly, the world requires a little less work, sweat and exhaustion. It’s just a little less terrifying. Social media tries to convince us we must have a take on everything—that we must be perpetually plugged in, arguing, debating, sharing our opinions like they are gospel. Here’s a crazy thought—you don’t have to engage. You don’t have to fight in the comment wars. You can see a post you disagree with strongly and keep scrolling. Trust me, I do it every day, several times a day! You don’t have to let the headlines ruin your week. You don’t have to pick a side and stay battle ready. Use your voice for what is truly important to you. But also, breathe. Ask yourself, “Is this comment section debate going to change my life? Is it likely to change anyone else’s mind? Will it matter in five years? Am I growing from this? Am I learning anything?” Healthy discourse is beautiful. Sitting across from someone and saying, “I disagree with you, but I love you anyway,” would be a beautiful way to live life; that is the kind of world I want to live in. That is the kind of person I want to be. We will never all agree, and honestly, we probably shouldn’t. But shouldn’t we be able to sit together over Texas Roadhouse and acknowledge that we are all just trying our best to understand the world around us. For those of you feeling lost right now, I get it. I truly understand you. But I also know that God has already won this battle. No amount of worrying, stressing, doom-scrolling, or social media debating will change that. The world is what it is. People will come and go. But, as long as I have the choice, I am choosing to live, to grow, and to love, even when the world tells me I should be scared. So, before you deep-dive into Facebook arguments today, take a deep breath. Ask yourself if the world is truly black and white or if maybe—just maybe—there’s some room for the beautiful, messy, complex gray. And if you ever need a break from it all, know that my Jeep is always ready for a McDonald’s run, and in my world, calories don’t count. Let’s try harder to be good to each other.
I thought Facebook would go back to normal. Naively, foolishly, dreamily—whatever you want to call it—I thought after November, we would be done. The discourse would simmer down, and my feed would return to what it was meant to be—blurry pictures of someone’s grandma’s dog, engagement announcements, and those deeply satisfying slime videos that keep me up at night. Instead, it’s like someone poured gasoline on the internet and handed out lighters. And here we are, watching the flames, exhausted, scrolling with one eye open like it’s our part-time job. I don’t want to talk about politics. I don’t. But I also can’t ignore that it’s the undercurrent of nearly everything we consume right now. And if I’ve learned anything as I’ve grown, it’s that we are not required to take everything at face value. We are not pigeonholed into seeing things as black and white. The media thrives on absolutes, but life exists in the messy, unpredictable, multicolored gray. Let me say this—I am not the 20-something here to tell you how you should be feeling right now. You couldn’t (and shouldn’t) care less about my opinion. I am not a political analyst, and often can’t even be bothered to pay attention to what is going on in GOOD EVENING TXK COLUMN BY BAILEY GRAVITT
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