It’s relentless: the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, in Ukraine, the worries over North Korea and Taiwan, the uncertainties in the economy, the climate crisis. Oh, and the election.

News alerts, pundits, and the steady hum of social media add to the noise. It’s overwhelming and easy to become numb, to let the onslaught blur together until it becomes just background static, like white noise.

This numbness can feel like a form of protection, a wall to shield us from the barrage. But too often, it becomes a barrier to engagement, keeping us from fully seeing, listening, and thinking critically. In a free and democratic society, this can be dangerous. Democracies don’t thrive when citizens tune out or disconnect. To maintain a healthy society, we need to stay present, stay engaged, keep listening, and keep speaking.

Of course, this doesn’t mean abandoning boundaries or surrendering to every piece of bad news. Creating boundaries is essential to our mental health. If the news becomes too much, take a break. If social media spirals into negativity, limit your time there. Curate your sources carefully; you don’t need every opinion on every issue. But boundaries are not the same as numbness. Numbness takes us out of the conversation entirely.

Remaining present allows us to discern what’s truly important. When we filter out the distractions, we can see the issues that demand our attention, that need our voice, our vote, our participation. Active listening and healthy debate bring clarity, helping us understand complex issues in ways that snap judgments or quick reactions cannot.

At its best, a free society is an active one. This requires resilience: the strength to face difficult realities without becoming overwhelmed by them. It calls for courage: the bravery to stay informed and keep caring, even when the path forward isn’t clear. And it demands responsibility: the commitment to do our part, however small, to sustain the society we’re part of.

So yes, establish healthy boundaries; turn off the noise when you need to. But stay in the conversation. Avoiding the issues doesn’t make them disappear, and as citizens, our engagement is vital. It’s not about keeping up with every update but about discerning what matters most. In the end, it’s not the white noise that shapes the future, but those who remain present within it, who choose to be informed, to care, and to act. And to vote.

Peace to you in these turbulent days.