I know we really don’t celebrate our “freedoms” anymore on July 4th–everything has now become a “right”–but between grilled hot dogs and illegal backyard fireworks this weekend I want you to give thanks for what is becoming a more important American freedom: the freedom not to care.
There is a growing sentiment that we should care about everything nowadays. Perhaps the 24-hour TV news cycle has contributed to that. So too has the internet and social media, as promoted posts are as common on your feeds as posts from the people you like or follow. And the nature of modern politics contributes to that belief as well, especially if everything can now be converted into a “crisis”
Some folks try very hard to make you care about what they care about. They aren’t afraid to block the street you are trying to drive on. They try to keep you from getting into businesses you want to support. They fill up your social media with articles and videos that have nothing to do with what you or one of your friends initially posted about.
The phrase “silence is violence” has grown in popularity in recent years. It implies that every single person must not only have a certain opinion on something, but they must be voicing that certain opinion at all times–or they are contributing to a perceived problem. If you don’t care about something, you are one of the “bad people”–even if you have nothing to do with the bad people or their actions. You simply don’t care.
It’s no wonder that today’s youth deal with extreme levels of anxiety. They are constantly told they have to care about everything: the environment, the ocean, every species of animal, the feelings of every person on earth, how chickens are raised, freshwater supplies, firearms laws in all 50 states, always using inclusive language, labor practices in 280 countries, and the gender status of celebrities. That’s a lot to handle. No wonder they can’t separate themselves from their devices–what if they miss important updates on all of the things they care so much about?
The beauty of our country is that we all don’t have to care about everything. If your greatest concern is about who the Packers are going to keep as their 3rd tight end at the end of training camp–that’s great. Our friends over at The Score will likely spend 45-minutes talking about that some afternoon about a month from now–and you can call in to share your concerns. If all you care about is how many stupid spoilers and ground effects you can put on your car–that’s fine too.
I’m not losing any sleep if you don’t care about what I care about, and you shouldn’t demand that I care about what you care about either. If it wasn’t for the actions of our Founding Fathers on July 4th of 1776, we would all have to care about a sexual predator Prince, his elderly mother’s health, and soccer.
