This Fucking Timeline

Alright ramblers, let's get ramblin'. 

I often see comments on Reddit that say something like "Fuck This Timeline". The underlying assertion is that there are multiple timelines/parallel universes that exist at the same time, and that we're in a shitty one. Kind of like The Butterfly Effect - every action has an effect, and leads the world down a certain path. The hypothesis is that each decision anyone makes affects the eventual outcome, and that alternate realities exist where other decisions were made, and thus our present is different. The concept of "Steampunk" is a good example - "what if we never switched to electricity, and continued using steam power instead? What would the world look like?" Or that movie CSA: Confederate States of America "What if the South won? What would the world look like right now?" Spoiler: It's fucked. Basically, this boils down to wondering "what if", and questioning "why it's the way it is".

I wanted to get some thoughts down because I've thought "fuck this timeline" a fuckton of times recently. What the fuck is going on in this world? How is this what we live in? Why is it set up the way it is, and how did we get to this place?

I feel like I am ridiculously overwhelmed with information overload.  So much news, so much to pay attention to, so many possibilities for the future. Complete and total uncertainty about what's going to happen. Distracted by the next story, forgetting about the previous. The fucking memory hole is my own brain's inability to archive all this information and make sense of it. Look over here, don't look at this; that's what's important, never mind this.

I find myself thinking "what is wrong with people" all the time - how could you be so stupid to not see what's happening? How are we turning into Idiocracy at such an accelerated rate? "This shit is not sustainable in any way.

Ok, what am I actually talking about? What's wrong? This is quite a fucking mouthful:

Divided populace - a false two party choice, set up to stifle progress. Keep it the way it is, we don't like change.

Disrespect of Nature - we take and take and take without concern for what we're doing to the planet. We treat animals horribly. Our oceans are being poisoned. A profound disconnect from our place within the world; we see dominion and not connection.

Terrible eating habits -Bacchanalian feasts of bullshit every day.  What's the point of Thanksgiving if everyday is a fucking buffet?

Society lacking compassion and empathy - I don't think it's a crazy far out concept that people should have basic needs met - food, housing, health care. But no, fuck off, Commie. There is plenty for all, but somehow we are so attached to the dream of possible fortune that we refuse to place any restrictions on greed and gluttony. That's just not the Amercian way - more in always better, right? I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone will need more than ten million dollars in a year. The lavish lifestyle that affords should be more than enough for anyone.

Proliferation of constant connectedness - I can't get away from it. It's in my pocket all day every day, wherever I go.

Voyerism - Checking Facebook all the time to see what other people are doing, and how they live their lives. Just a peek, right? We're all spies now.

Giving the wrong fucks  - Caring about bullshit. "This celebrity did this", "Twitter reacts to unpopular opinion" as a news story. "Can you believe this person thinks that? Fuck their entire life and cancel everything they ever did because I don't agree with them."

Imposing one's morals on others - We're nosy mother fuckers in everyone's business. Why? Leave me alone and I'll leave you alone to do what you want, as long as it doesn't harm me. "But the bible...!" Yo read the mother fucker for real and then get back to me, cause casting the first stone and judging others for their "sins" ain't it my dude.

Complaints without action - It wouldn't be fair to exclude the bullshit I'm doing by writing this right now. I'm just sounding off without any plan or actual insight to make this better. Being a whiny bitch without actually making any change.

We've embraced the seven deadly sins as quality traits to put on a pedestal.

I just want to get away from it all.

But where would I go? How do I survive outside of this bullshit? And what about the toughest aspects of it - the FOMO? I just want to stop watching the news and paying attention to this bullshit- but then "I'm not informed and I don't know what's going on". But do I really care about this bullshit? Should I give my limited fucks to this shit that doesn't really have much of an impact on my actual life?

This has been in me for so long. Wanting to just get away and live a hermit life. I'm halfway there in the Colorado mountains, but I'm still connected. It's all still available, and I still eat it up. I lack discipline. I don't need to focus on this bullshit, but I do. I could say fuck it and live my life right here without it, but I don't. The drug aspect of it - the dose of whatever the fuck my brain releases from it. The craving and the giving in - "Just check Reddit, it's not as bad as nbcnews.com", "Take a quick look at his Twitter to see what he's saying". "Kill some time on Instagram".

Reset. I literally need to go to rehab from the news and media. Maybe I'll go camping for a month without my phone. Would probably help me physically and mentally.