I have a death wish.

From the Op-Ed Column: I have a death wish.

Maybe or maybe not, I’m not sure. My opinionated, 16 y.o daughter and I were having a discussion the other day on current events. She was stunned at the fact that I wasn’t up to date on the latest hate crimes (Atlanta mass shooting) or the attack on a female (Sara Everhard in England). She proceeded to tell me, that I lived in a bubble where the reality of the outside world didn’t exist. She wasn’t wrong and she wasn’t right. I don’t live in a bubble. However, I get my news from the Sunday New York Times, and rarely during the week, do I check a news site for the latest developments. My first thought to myself was “I have a death wish,” meaning wanting to look stupid or not up-to-date or in my daughter’s words “living in a bubble” when I speak with others.

Then I examined this further and realized it wasn’t a death wish, it was purposeful neglect of current events stemming from childhood interactions or lack thereof. Just like Sylvie, my older sister was voiced in her opinions, her political views and the importance of political correctness, and all the terms that go with this. The dinner table was often the spot for intellectual debates between my sister and father. Thought they came off more like arguments than debates. This is because my sister saw her viewpoint as the only viewpoint (a trait Sylvie has). See, I don’t want to argue at the dinner table.

However, I should still know what is going on in the world. I plan on a more regular basis to check the latest news. I also plan on continuing my practice with my daughter of saying at the end of a debate/argument, “You have your opinion and I have mine and they don’t agree. So, let’s agree to disagree and leave it at that.”