Overwhelmed with Politics? Embrace a Political Detox

Contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, 254-710-1961
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Engaging in too much political discourse sometimes can lead us to feel depressed and overwhelmed by the divisive differences in opinions and information. In an interview on the Baylor Connections podcast, one Baylor University professor suggests taking a political detox as a healthier approach to political consumption. So, what does a political detox entail? Thomas Hibbs, Ph.D., The J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy and Dean Emeritus of the Honors College, offers five actions to detox from political discourse.

Hibbs describes the detox as an “occasional detachment” to gain perspective and recover a healthier way of thinking and interacting with others that can help us reengage with politics from a place of civility.  

“Our political discourse is pretty toxic, and we're politicizing everything,” Hibbs said. “And if we don't have perspectives outside of politics that at least for the moment, free us up from the burden of the immediacy of the political battle, then our politics becomes increasingly shallow because we lose the resources to bring into the political order that might enliven it and elevate it.”

On Baylor Connections, Hibbs discussed his recent article, “A Guide to Political Detox” in The Dallas Morning News, and suggests five actionable ways to help people look at their relationship with political information to find healthier approaches to engaging in politics and civil discourse:

1. Practice healthy news consumption 

Combine multiple ways to find political communications in order to practice healthy news consumption. Hibbs said to look at a variety of sources, not just short form information on social media. He suggests mixing in longer articles and information “where your attention span is actually challenged a little bit” to encourage you to think more deeply about the issues.

2. Criticize ideological teammates and commend foes 

Pay attention to opinions that may differ from the regular take of the speaker, instead of the typical “preaching to the choir” approach of speaking from a conservative or liberal slant as a way to criticize ideological teammates and commend foes.

“I'm really intrigued by people whom I see who are criticizing their teammates, and then sometimes praising opponents,” Hibbs said. “And that sort of healthy self-critique and generosity toward others, I think is something that's increasingly rare, and it's to be cultivated and appreciated when and where it shows up.”

3. Pursue silence and solitude 

Fostering healthier forms of silence and learning to be alone without necessarily being silent, especially in a world where screens dominate our attention, and our minds are constantly racing. 

“Developing habits of attention, being receptive and being quiet, whether it's in nature or just in one's home can give a kind of peace to the soul, a kind of stillness and it can make us see things and hear things in our own heart and in others that we would otherwise miss if we're frantically trying to respond to something that's just been posted five seconds ago,” Hibb said.

4. Cultivate apolitical friendships 

Seek out relationships with people that may have differing political opinions than you. Hibbs encourages us to cultivate deep friendships with people that you can have healthy conversations with and even disagree.  

“I always wanted just for the health of the conversation, to have somebody in there who felt like they could honestly disagree,” Hibbs said. “I think that openness to being persuaded by friends and then having those friendships anchored in something deeper than the political battle of the moment.”

5. Focus on the way that Scripture confounds politics. 

Hibbs said it is important to do a deep dive into Scripture and the resources in your denomination and see how that helps us reorient our political ideas by asking four questions: How do we think about difference and unity? How do we think about the poor? How do we think about the way in which we treat people at the margins of society? How do we think about effectively meeting their needs?  

“It seems to me that Scripture speaks in a way that doesn't, at least from my perspective, map neatly onto either or a summing of the best things in both political parties,” Hibbs said. “There's much deeper resources there for us to draw upon.”

Ultimately, Hibbs acknowledges that a political detox needs to occur to keep ourselves from being driven crazy by politics, and for the sake of our families and communities. 

“It is not a detachment from politics but giving yourself some perspective and recovering a healthy way of thinking and interacting with others, that then enables you to reengage with politics in a way that does not destroy you as a human being,” Hibbs said.

ABOUT THOMAS HIBBS, PH.D. 

Thomas Hibbs, Ph.D., is The J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy at Baylor, where he also is Dean Emeritus of the Honors College and Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Culture. His research focuses on the areas of medieval philosophy, especially Thomas Aquinas, contemporary virtue ethics and aesthetics. He has taught widely in Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC) programs at Baylor. With his wife, Dr. Stacey Hibbs, he teaches a Baylor Capstone course on Friendship. 

 Hibbs has published more than 100 articles on film, theater, art and higher education in a variety of venues, including First Things, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New Atlantis, The Wall Street Journal and National Review and currently writes op-ed pieces for The Dallas Morning News. Called upon regularly to comment on film and popular culture, Hibbs has made more than 100 appearances on radio, including nationally syndicated NPR shows “The Connection,” “On the Media” and “All Things Considered,” as well as local NPR stations in Boston, Ann Arbor, Dallas and Rochester, NY. 

LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION 

Listen to the full conversation with Thomas Hibbs on the Baylor Connections podcast. 

ABOUT BAYLOR CONNECTIONS

Baylor Connections with host Derek Smith goes in depth each week with Baylor University leaders, professors and more, discussing important topics in higher education, research and student life. Baylor Connections airs on Fridays at 11 a.m. CT on KWBU 103.3FM in Waco. The podcast also is available online or by subscribing to Baylor Connections on iTunes.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.