Sean Carney

Today I read Joan Westenberg’s post on How We Traded Anxiety for Apathy, which lays out the concerned citizen to doomer pipeline which seems to summarize the journey many people have undertaken in the last 5 years. After hearing about crisis after crisis in the news but seeing little forward progress, Westenberg argues that we are in a period of emotional burnout after constant exposure to high stakes information has depleted everyone’s emotional resources and lead to a normalization of detachment.

From this premise, Westenberg notes that apathy isn’t inherently dangerous, but the danger lies in all the things that apathy prevents us from doing:

You can see this everywhere:

• Decreased civic engagement masked as “avoiding drama”
• Reduced innovation disguised as “accepting limitations”
• Weakened social bonds justified as “maintaining boundaries”

Joan Westenberg, How We Traded Anxiety for Apathy

Ultimately, anxiety and apathy are simply responses to the same fundamental underlying condition, a world which feels increasingly outside of our control. This feels like a bit of a universal truth but recognizing this is inherently helpful in reframing our response. Westenberg mercifully notes this and closes with a list of potential actions which counteract this narrative:

A path forward:

1. Recognizing False Choices: The options aren’t limited to “panic” or “check out.” There’s vast territory between these extremes.
2. Restoring Agency: Small, tangible actions create feedback loops of engagement. Start with what’s immediately within your influence.
3. Rebuilding Authentic Connection: Not the social media simulacrum of connection, but genuine human bonds that make caring feel worth the risk.
4. Reframing Engagement: Moving from all-or-nothing thinking to sustainable, focused involvement.

Joan Westenberg, How We Traded Anxiety for Apathy

I found this to be a prescient bit of analysis since I think Westenberg has hit on where many people are at emotionally and drawn that connection between burnout and the actual actions and behaviors we are observing in society at large.

While this doesn’t solve anything, there is a significant amount of solace to be taken in the realization that we aren’t alone.