We all know the world is on fire and there are very few outlets any of us have right now where that isn't on display. That's not necessarily a bad thing - we should be aware of and invested in the lives and experiences of others, especially when it's outside our usual functioning. Empathy for the struggles that others face should be our goal. But the overwhelming nature of how many things are currently awful does not make it easy to digest what else is happening in the world or actual newsworthy items among the chaos.
Up First is an NPR podcast, so my support for it is part of my donations to the local NPR station (mine is KJZZ in Arizona). I've always supported NPR, wherever I lived, starting with WAMU in DC. It both acclimates me to the local culture, which is crucial when you move often, and keeps me nationally and internationally informed and aware. I listen to a lot of NPR podcasts I'll eventually go through, but this one is first.
Up First is a brief morning podcast Monday - Saturday. The hosts are familiar to anyone who listens to NPR - Rachel Martin, Noel King, David Greene and Steve Inskeep during the week, Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Scott Simon on the weekend. It's short - about 15 minutes - and covers 3 major stories. It's not the full Morning Edition but it is a really brief overview of major stories of the day.
The true value I have found in this is that getting this brief update on news that is valuable helps innoculate my mind from doom scrolling through various feeds, numbingly seeing but not really absorbing anything. It has done wonders for my mental health. I enjoyed it before all of this started as a quick update, but now it is a tool against the mental stress of the current world.
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