How to be happy in times of trumpery

Novelist E.B. White wrote "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." That seems a perfect reprise of our daily choice in the teeth of trumpery.

What a great word, trumpery. It's been in use since the 15th century. In 1755, Samuel Johnson defined it as "something fallaciously splendid; something of less value than it seems; falsehood, empty talk." For anyone uncomfortable--not to say miserable--at seeing falsehoods spread, these are challenging times. What to do?

Recent data on happiness-- move a little

We've heard for years that exercise fends off depression. A recent study of 10,000 people by researchers at Cambridge found that any movement, be it ever so modest, was correlated with a boost in happiness. And for those of us who care about the truth, this research shows a correlation rather than causation. It's possible that happier people like to move more. But hey-- it's worth a try.

Anxiety and depression correlated with some cancers

On a somber note, a recent meta-analysis of 16 studies involving over 160,000 people found a correlation between depression and anxiety and certain cancers. Note how careful the article is to show the limits of this data, the effort to re-analyze by removing any subject who died during the first five years of follow-up to eliminate the possibility that the person knew they had cancer and were understandably anxious and depressed. This did not change the results. Again, note the care for the truth in this study-- the antithesis of trumpery.

Cornucopia of issues to move on

In the glass-half-full department, there are daily opportunities, if you will, to pursue and thereby shake off depression. At first I found myself stewing over everything, then realized that didn't help either the world or my happiness. I have picked one, a free press, which for me is ground zero among the dizzying array of new social afflictions. Without a free press, we would languish in the dark. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press offers one avenue for free-press support.

Only through alternative argument and evidence can we move closer to the truth. As French philosopher Voltaire wrote, "I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write." Differing perspectives need desperately to be heard-- as long as they have basis in fact. I'm not falling on my sword for trumpery. Outright lies are felonies in the world of critical thought.

Work on balance between happiness and efforts to improve the world

Trumpery will be with us for a long time. Striving for E.B. White's balance may offer a personal path forward. I will let you know how I fare and hope you'll let me know your thoughts.

? Connie Missimer 2017