going beyond the noise
from overwhelm to agency
If the problems in our news feeds aren’t going away, it’s up to us to find new ways to exist alongside them. To make sense of the constant stimuli and somehow be better for it.
Today, we’re exploring how to navigate the noise of modern life more skillfully.
Because, yes, the world can feel impossibly tangled. But that overwhelm can't be the end of the story.
the hidden structure beneath the noise
Our problems defy simple solutions. But they're not too complex to navigate.
Standing steady in the chaos is about intention, more than any academic understanding of systems theory or political dynamics. It’s about processing information consciously, accepting that we’re in a constant dance with the complexity of the outside world.
The weight of that complexity is real. But what you might not know is that there’s a structure to it, and learning to deconstruct it can make everything feel a lot more workable.
Think of it in three layers:
The Surface Layer: The symptoms everyone sees (war, wildfires, inequality, polarization)
The Systems Layer: The engines driving everything (economy, energy, politics)
The Values Layer: The deeper stories and incentives that hold it all together
Let’s dig in.
layer 1: the surface
We all live here: scrolling through the latest disasters, political drama, and anxiety. The surface-level stuff that dominates our feeds and conversations.
But to make sense of it—or to regain any agency—you can't stay here.
At the surface, nuance tends to disappear. Despite nothing being as simple as a “this or that” equation, black-and-white thinking thrives at the surface. So, it’s safe to say this level isn’t where solutions live; it’s where things get heated, oversimplified, and misunderstood.
Take fossil fuels and climate change. Even if we stopped using these fuels tomorrow, we’d still face mineral scarcity for solar panels and a lack of energy security for millions of people. Ban plastic? Paper alternatives can drive deforestation. Go all-in on electric cars? Lithium mining brings its own humanitarian concerns.
Only treating symptoms at the surface is like mopping the floor while the faucet’s still running. You stay busy, but the mess remains.
This doesn’t mean we can bypass this level. We just need to understand that deeper layers exist and we’re invited to explore them.
layer 2: the systems
If the surface is what we can see, the systems layer is what quietly shapes it all. Systems run on incentives — the rules and design choices that steer behavior at scale.
We aren't taught to see this, or even question why things have spun out of control. So we feel powerless, like victims of a reality that makes less and less sense. But it's not random.
Once you see the incentives driving everything, our backwards reality starts feeling like an inevitable result.
Real examples:
Wall Street rewards quarterly profits over long-term value
Politics runs on two-year cycles while attempting to solve multi-decade problems
Tech platforms optimize for engagement today, not healthy communities tomorrow
Healthcare treats symptoms, not prevention
It's easy to look at all that and feel sh*tty. But when you look for the incentives — when you descend a layer to see how these patterns work — things start making sense. The fog lifts. And the places where you can actually make a difference become clearer.
But what creates those incentives in the first place? The stories we tell ourselves.
layer 3: the stories
Every culture runs on stories about what matters — what progress looks like, how you define success, what constitutes the good life. These stories fuel the systems above them by shaping what gets rewarded and what doesn’t.
Mainstream culture’s greatest hits:
More stuff equals more happiness
Individual success beats collective wellbeing
Competition is more natural than cooperation
Growth is always good
Humans are separate from nature
Technology will save us
Throughout history, story shifts come before system shifts. Once enough people adopt new stories, the old ways lose their grip, and new ones emerge.
Take women’s rights — the story changed from “biological inferiority” to “deserving equal participation.” Then, voting rights and access to education followed.
Or consider how we think about smoking. Fifty years ago, doctors recommended cigarettes. The story shifted from "sophisticated and healthy" to "dangerous addiction." Then came regulations, taxes, and social stigma.
Cultural transformation starts with new stories. They create our reality.
where you fit
Seeing the world in layers like this makes everything easier to untangle. It helps you see where you can slot in. Where your work, your voice, and your energy can have the deepest impact.
Perfect example: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist who knew that saving coral reefs took more than good science. She couldn't just study ocean acidification—she had to work across all the layers. So she started Urban Ocean Lab, connecting climate science (Layer 1) with policy reform (Layer 2) and cultural storytelling (Layer 3).
That’s dancing with complexity.
your next move
This isn't about finding perfect fixes. It's about participating more skillfully. Seeing the full picture.
The overwhelm you feel isn't a warning sign – it's a signal that you're feeling the complexity, which means you're ready to engage with it differently.
Some people know exactly where they fit. Others are still figuring it out. Both are fine. The point is to start somewhere, follow your energy, and trust that your particular alchemy of skills and passion has weight.
If not us, who?
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