The Rise of Emotional Divestment

🌈 Abstract

The article explores the widespread and insidious shifts in how we experience each other face-to-face, not just in our most intimate relationships but also in our communities and public spaces, which have been accelerated by the pandemic. It discusses how the focus on facing dark realities through deep connection has been replaced by a divestment from communal experiences of sadness and all external emotional sources, leading to a state of merciless sterility and impatience with in-person interactions.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Shift in Emotional Engagement

1. What are the key changes in how we experience each other face-to-face that the article discusses?

• The article argues that there has been a shift away from facing dark realities through deep connection, and towards a divestment from communal experiences of sadness and all external emotional sources.
• This has led to a state of "merciless sterility" and "impatience with meatspace" (in-person interactions), with people increasingly relying on digital interactions and media that are shorter, more fragmented, and emotionally removed.

2. How does the article characterize this shift in emotional engagement?

• The article states that this shift goes beyond just "compassion fatigue" and is the result of a combination of factors:
  • Around-the-clock exposure to global human suffering
  • Diminished attention spans
  • Smaller and smaller chunks of content
  • Baked-in cross-platform imperatives to remain emotionally removed

3. What are the negative consequences of this shift in emotional engagement that the article highlights?

• The article argues this shift has led to a "merciless sterility" and "impatience with meatspace" (in-person interactions).
• It has resulted in people being less willing to confront conflict and strong emotions in public, with a tendency to disengage and withdraw rather than engage.
• This has implications for how we navigate communal spaces, public discourse, and addressing global issues and crises.

[02] The Importance of Embracing Emotions

1. What does the article argue is the importance of embracing emotions, both personally and communally?

• The article states that embracing and celebrating human emotions is not just a personal endeavor, but one that "transcends the personal" and can make communities more "open, more communicative, and more resilient."
• It argues that learning to "greet strong emotions in ourselves and others with curiosity and compassion" is an important first step.

2. How does the article suggest we can model the importance of emotions for younger generations?

• The article suggests that in order to teach young people the "importance of emotions" and the "richness and depth and texture that strong feelings add to our daily experience," we need to model ways of "accepting differences and remaining engaged through the most heated conflicts."

3. What are the personal and communal benefits the article associates with embracing emotions?

• On a personal level, the article states that confronting your own "shame, despair, and anger" can clear the way to feel "the full force of your joy."
• On a communal level, the article argues that your "bravery in the face of fear and shame improves the world around you" by modeling "courage and forgiveness."