The first thing I read this morning in our local newspaper was that “once we’ve dealt with the pandemic, inflation will destabilize us”.

That headline was a proper mood killer on a Monday morning. It felt like the guided meditation I had completed just a few moments earlier was brutally flushed down the toilet.

Then I realized this will always be the case. There’s always something ominous lurking around the corner and the corporate media (or some politician) will always be eager to point it out for us. After all, they need to get your attention, and we all know that bad news sells better than good news.

The media is also very good at reminding us that however good things might feel right now, there’s essentially an infinite number of disasters that could strike us. Here’s my Top 5 list of “dark clouds” that can be thrown up in the sky anytime it’s been sunny for too long:

1. Covid-19 was just a dress rehearsal and a much deadlier virus could hit us at any time.

2. The singularity with full artificial general intelligence is right behind the corner – and then humans will become slaves or completely eradicated.

3. There have been numerous close calls involving nuclear weapons. The next accident could lead to a devastating chain reaction.

4. Due to continued money printing and ever-growing debt mountains (+ insert your favourite crypto meme here), the global financial system will collapse leading to massive social unrest and conflicts.

5. Anything related to Russia or China.

While I do think it’s occasionally beneficial to think about all the bad stuff that could happen to us (the Stoics call this psychological technique negative visualization), I don’t think it’s healthy to constantly worry about disastrous things.

I hope the media would also adopt this philosophy.