WEBVTT - Don't sneeze on people

0:00:03.000 --> 0:00:09.360
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:16.400
<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

0:00:16.400 --> 0:00:22.640
<v Speaker 1>tip is to not spread distress like germs. Sometimes it

0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:25.759
<v Speaker 1>is necessary to share a concern so it can be solved,

0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:30.120
<v Speaker 1>But when you are simply making conversation, whether in real

0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:34.839
<v Speaker 1>life or online, steer clear from content that will result

0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:40.640
<v Speaker 1>in frustration, anxiety, or anger, because who needs more of

0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:45.920
<v Speaker 1>that in their lives. Today's tip comes from Oliver Berkman,

0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:50.520
<v Speaker 1>author of the books Meditations for Mortals and four Thousand Weeks.

0:00:51.560 --> 0:00:56.920
<v Speaker 1>In his newsletter The Imperfectionist, Berkman referred to alarmist news

0:00:57.000 --> 0:01:00.319
<v Speaker 1>about AI, but explained why he wasn't linking to those

0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:04.360
<v Speaker 1>articles himself. I'm not going to link to any of

0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:08.959
<v Speaker 1>these contagious anxiety spreading pieces for the same reason I

0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:13.160
<v Speaker 1>don't go around actively sneezing in people's faces when I

0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:18.640
<v Speaker 1>catch a cold. It's a funny analogy and a wise one.

0:01:18.840 --> 0:01:22.200
<v Speaker 1>It is bad enough if you have a cold, There

0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.280
<v Speaker 1>is no reason to try to purposefully spread it to

0:01:25.360 --> 0:01:29.559
<v Speaker 1>other people. And it is the same with rage bait

0:01:30.000 --> 0:01:33.720
<v Speaker 1>in general. Now, certainly there are times when we have

0:01:33.920 --> 0:01:36.319
<v Speaker 1>bad news or concerns that we do need to share

0:01:36.360 --> 0:01:40.560
<v Speaker 1>with people, either because they might help solve it or

0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:44.039
<v Speaker 1>because we need help figuring out how to respond. But

0:01:44.080 --> 0:01:47.360
<v Speaker 1>if you are looking for conversation starters or content to

0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:51.800
<v Speaker 1>post online op for the positive, don't go around sneezing

0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:56.800
<v Speaker 1>in other people's faces. So in general, you probably don't

0:01:56.880 --> 0:02:00.360
<v Speaker 1>want to share troubling news unless you pair it with

0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:05.440
<v Speaker 1>constructive action that people can take. Your friends might be

0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:08.960
<v Speaker 1>happier not reading the latest clickbait article about the various

0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:13.040
<v Speaker 1>ailments of middle age unless you or the article itself

0:02:13.680 --> 0:02:17.880
<v Speaker 1>also offer strategies for dealing with these ailments. I am

0:02:17.880 --> 0:02:20.320
<v Speaker 1>pretty sure we are all tired of hearing about how

0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:23.640
<v Speaker 1>AI is going to take our jobs and destroy human

0:02:23.680 --> 0:02:28.120
<v Speaker 1>relationships and maybe the planet. At the same time. If

0:02:28.120 --> 0:02:31.440
<v Speaker 1>you want to read articles that make you mad or stressed,

0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:35.640
<v Speaker 1>that's fine, but don't assume that anyone else wants to

0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:39.200
<v Speaker 1>read them. You don't want to sneeze on people with

0:02:39.320 --> 0:02:44.440
<v Speaker 1>gossip about people and institutions either. For instance, it is

0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:49.079
<v Speaker 1>probably not helpful to speculate about your employer's financial troubles,

0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:52.440
<v Speaker 1>or to recount what your officemate said about a friend

0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:55.720
<v Speaker 1>of hers who got a bad performance review, or to

0:02:55.760 --> 0:03:00.520
<v Speaker 1>tell everyone you know about your cousin's neighbors daughter who

0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:03.640
<v Speaker 1>make straight a's and still didn't get into any of

0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:07.800
<v Speaker 1>her top ten college choices. You can keep that stressful

0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:13.760
<v Speaker 1>news to yourself. I think sometimes people may share anxiety

0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:17.359
<v Speaker 1>or anger inducing content because it feels good to get

0:03:17.360 --> 0:03:21.680
<v Speaker 1>a reaction from other people. The anxiety or anger you

0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:27.040
<v Speaker 1>are sparking is probably not any more welcome than a cold.

0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:31.880
<v Speaker 1>So when you consider sharing content or news that might

0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:37.680
<v Speaker 1>cause worry or frustration, ask yourself why. If there is

0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:42.200
<v Speaker 1>constructive action that could come out of it. Great. It

0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:45.280
<v Speaker 1>is certainly fine to ask friends to donate alongside you

0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.880
<v Speaker 1>to a cause, or to write to leaders alongside you

0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:53.720
<v Speaker 1>to try to spark change. But otherwise, if it's just

0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:58.240
<v Speaker 1>engagement and reaction you are aiming for, let the sneezing

0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:05.440
<v Speaker 1>stop with you. In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks

0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:10.760
<v Speaker 1>for listening, and here's to making the most of our time.

0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:21.640
<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

0:04:21.800 --> 0:04:25.200
<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura

0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:34.640
<v Speaker 1>vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:39.279
<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from iHeartMedia. Please visit the iHeartRadio app,

0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:42.800
<v Speaker 1>Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.