Juxtaposition

A story about the news and what really matters

Every morning, I start the day by reading the news and injecting my mind with the dialogue of a world in which I am largely just an observer. I see the happenings of our planet unfold as I wake. It is a ritual I have been performing since my mid-twenties, but I wonder if it is a ritual worth continuing to practice.

While I ingest the world news, the rest of my house is fast asleep. My wife relishes a few more precious moments of peace before her alarm clock (our three-month-old daughter) wakes her. Our two-year-old sleeps soundly in her crib down the hall. Even the dogs and the cat are not awake with me yet.

As my family enjoys a peaceful state of rest, I am exposed to the many horrors of this world being brought to me by this malicious little device in my hand. The same device you’re likely reading this article on right now.

Each morning I do this, I feel a conflict between my firm belief in the importance of being informed and my equally strong belief in caring for my mental health.

I obviously love the freedom of the press, but I’m becoming increasingly afraid of what this constant cycle of algorithmic news exposure is doing to us. It can’t be beneficial to spend as much time as we do engulfed in the happenings of locations that are oceans and continents away from us. If we spend this much time worried about the rest of the world, how much space are we allowing for ignorance of the news unfolding inside our own homes?

I decided to take one week and simultaneously document the daily occurrences in my household, particularly focusing on the two fascinating little humans that live in our house, alongside the news happening around the world.

My goal was to juxtapose world news and events in our home, to highlight what worries me and what I have actual influence upon, to make sure I am focusing on the things that really matter.

What follows is my whole world in the span of seven days in August 2025.

Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025:

World news: An Iowa man kills his two neighbors before setting himself on fire. The motive for the CDC Headquarters shooting is released. Israel prepares to overtake Gaza.

A house fire rages on as authorities try to suppress it. A resident of Glenwood, Iowa, Dennis Burnell, 71, shot and killed his neighbors before setting his house ablaze while inside. Burnell later died from burn injuries while being treated in a nearby hospital. (Photograph courtesy of KETV News)

The CDC Headquarters building was shot at hundreds of times by Patrick Joseph White, 30, on Aug. 8, 2025. White took his own life after the shooting. Authorities believe his motives stem from personal feelings about the COVID vaccine. The only fatality was Atlanta Police Officer David Rose, 33. Rose, a former US Marine, husband, and father of two children. (Photograph courtesy of BBC)

Home news: Norah is becoming more expressive of wants and needs, quoted saying, “I want Dada” when she woke from her nap. Penny is beginning to smile and laugh more regularly. As the franchise finale of Sex and the City approaches, my wife is feeling saddened and nostalgic. Norah learned that waffle irons are not a fun item to touch.

Penny Bair, 3 months, smiles back at her mother from the comfort of the kitchen in their home on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Norah Bair, 2, cries after learning the hard way that waffle irons are, in fact, very hot on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. Her mother, Karli Bair, holds her while running cold water over her hand. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Monday, Aug. 11, 2025:

World News: News reaches the U.S. that multiple Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in Gaza. Trump announces the deployment of federal law enforcement agencies and the National Guard to Washington, D.C. Fox News spent 85 minutes of airtime covering Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans ad.

Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, Momen Aliwa, and freelance journalist Mohammed al-Khalidi were all killed in an airstrike launched by Israel on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2025. Roughly 192 journalists have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Committee to Protect Journalists)

President Trump announces that the National Guard will be deployed to Washington, D.C. The deployment, which will also include a heavy presence of federal agents, is a result of a member of the Trump administration known by the colloquial name of “Big Balls” being mugged by D.C. teenagers. (Photograph courtesy of USA Today)

Analysts discovered that Fox News spent nearly an hour and a half covering the controversy surrounding the Sydney Sweeney advertisement for American Eagle jeans on Aug. 11, 2025. On the same day, they spent less than three minutes covering the Epstein files, an issue that is a primary concern of Americans across the political divide. (Photograph courtesy of American Eagle)

Home news: Norah FaceTimed me at work to show me her new sunglasses. When I got home from work, Norah asked me to pick her up and immediately puked down the front of my shirt. Penny is the undisputed champion of tummy time.

Norah plays with her reflection in the bathroom mirror on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. She does this often and usually shifts between smiling and laughing hysterically at herself. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Javan Bair, 32, takes a selfie in the bathroom after his daughter threw up on his shirt on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. Javan is working on a story about highlighting the importance of focusing more on the events occurring inside your own home, and thought this was a fitting photo. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Penny Bair, 3 months, is doing her “tummy time” exercises on her father’s chest while he has fun with a wide-angle camera lens on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. Sources say, at this rate, Penny may be able to roll over all by herself in the near future. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025:

World news: U.S. and China agree to a Tariff extension. A lone gunman kills three at a Target in Austin, Texas. North Korean workers exported to Russia allege they were subjected to “slave-like” conditions.

Ethan Nienenker opened fire in the parking lot of a Target in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. Nienenker randomly killed a grandfather and his four-year-old granddaughter in their parked car. He also murdered a Target employee before eventually being arrested while walking down a public road in the nude. (Photograph courtesy of CNN)

Kim Jung Un and Vladimir Putin are photographed together. In addition to the many laborers North Korea has sent to aid Russia, the country has also sent thousands of troops to fight alongside Russian forces in their ongoing war with Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of BBC/Getty Images)

Home news: Norah and I went for a run after work; we have been approaching an 18-week streak on Strava. Sources say Penny has gone nearly one full day without pooping. People close to the matter hope for a dirty diaper soon.

Norah swings at a park near the house on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2025. She has been my little running buddy, as of late. I pack her in the stroller and take off. We often stop and play at parks along the way. She thinks it’s for her, but those breaks are really for me to catch my breath. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Karli changes Penny’s diaper while the cat, Toby, jumps off the couch and the dog, Sturgill, naps at her feet on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. Just out of frame to the left, there is another dog, Hank, also sleeping. As well as Norah, who is throwing pillows onto the floor. Our home is very much alive. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025:

World news: Taylor Swift announces new album on “New Heights” podcast. The National Guard has arrived in D.C. and is conducting 24-hour operations. Wildfires rage across the world, particularly in the U.S. and Europe.

Taylor Swift announces the release of her new album, The Life of A Showgirl, on the New Heights podcast hosted by the Kelce brothers. The episode aired on Tuesday, August 14, 2025, it has since been viewed over 20 million times. The episode set a Guinness World Record for being the most-concunetly-viewed podcast of all time. (Screenshot courtesy of New Heights)

National Guard troops stand outside their HMMWV parked in front of the White House while a civilian rides past on a Lime scooter in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 13, 2025. (Photograph courtesy of NY Times)

A firefighter in Ourense, Spain, is shown fighting an intense blaze on Aug. 13, 2025. Wildfires have raged across the world this summer as record-breaking temperatures have become more prevalent. (Photograph courtesy of Anadolu/Getty Images/The Guardian)

Home news: Norah helped Karli make chocolate chip, blueberry pancakes for breakfast. The dogs, Hank and Sturgill, had upset stomachs from allegedly eating Toby’s cat food; sources have yet to confirm. Penny has still not pooped, and her usual happy disposition is turning sour from the constipation.

Hank, 4, enjoys a nap in the sunlight of our living room on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. A healthy portion of Hank’s day looks much like the above picture. He is a kind boy with an easy temperament. For what it’s worth, he does have eyeballs. If you were wondering. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Sturgill, 6, lies on the floor nervously side-staring the camera in my hands. Many believe him to, in fact, be a horse trapped in the body of a Border-Collie. If you look closely, his left claw is painted blue with nail polish. The corresponding paw is also blue from lying on sidewalk chalk. His face says it all: the life of a dog with a toddler. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Toby, 1, lies stretched out on a pillow on the couch. From his established high-ground position, he decides which unassuming dog to provoke next. He is a domestic terrorist in every sense of the word, but we love him. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025:

World news: Federal agents begin making arrests in D.C., and the media takes notice. Sudan suffers hundreds of deaths resulting from a Cholera outbreak. Unrest continues to boil over in conflicts all over the world.

Federal law enforcement agents are shown conducting nighttime operations in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2025. Federal agents have been deployed to police the streets of the nation’s capital, along with the National Guard. (Photograph courtesy of Alex Brandon/AP)

A Sudanese caregiver is shown giving a bedridden child a beverage. Sudan’s cholera outbreak has resulted in hundreds of deaths as the country scrambles to treat patients with limited resources. (Photograph courtesy of Yao Chen/UNOCHA)

Home news: Norah and Karli painted their fingernails and toenails pink. Norah has broken ground on building a castle of blocks. Penny has finally pooped.

Norah walks confidently away from a recently constructed stack of blocks on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2025. She describes the building of such a structure as “building a castle.” (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Norah shows the camera her freshly painted, pink toenails while seated on the bathroom counter on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2025. Painting nails with Mom is a favorite activity of hers. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Friday, Aug. 15, 2025:

World news: Trump and Putin meet in Alaska to discuss a possible ceasefire. Washington, D.C., sues Trump over federal seizure of police departments. PBS reports a disappearance in local journalism as many local papers shut down operations.

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are shown posing for a photograph in Alaska on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. The two leaders met to discuss a possible end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that has been ongoing since Feb. 24, 2022. (Photograph courtesy of Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Washington D.C.’s elected attorney general, Brian Schwalb, files a lawsuit against President Trump on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. Schwalb claims that Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard was “unprecedented” and “unlawful”. (Photograph courtesy of Reuters)

PBS reports that local newspapers across the U.S. are going out of business after a Congressional decision to shut down the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in July 2025. Major news outlets such as PBS and NPR are also being affected by the recent defunding of the CPB. (Photograph courtesy of AP)

Home news: The Bair family observed its weekly tradition of ordering a Marco’s Pizza and falling asleep on the couch.

Karli Bair “watching” The Wire on the evening of Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. She may not be interested in The Wire, but she has watched The Sopranos in its entirety with me multiple times. That’s how I know I married a real one. (Javan Bair/JBMR)

Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025:

World news: Zelenskyy says he will meet with Trump on Monday, Putin wants a sweeping peace deal, not a ceasefire, Powerball numbers revealed for a $565 million jackpot

Presidents Vladimir Zelensky and Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office on Monday, Aug. 19, 2025. This marks the second meeting of the two world leaders, following a highly publicized and contentious gathering on February 28, 2025, during which no progress toward ending the war between Russia and Ukraine was made. (Photograph courtesy of Getty Images)

The Powerball lottery reached an astonishingly high jackpot worth 565 million dollars on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (Photograph courtesy of Getty Images)

Home news: I woke up to dog poop, pee, and vomit on the kitchen floor: officials believe the culprit was expired dog treats. Norah spent a lovely afternoon playing in the park. Penny ventured through a playground obstacle while strapped to her mother’s Baby Bjorn.

A toddler of many talents, Norah finished riding her bike and began playing soccer underneath a perfect Colorado sky on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025.

Karli travels through a playground obstacle on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. The ability to capture this moment in time is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. (Javan Bair/ JBMR)

Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025:

World news: European Union leaders meet with Zelenskyy. Israel begins hammering Gaza with more airstrikes as part of their plan to take the territory, as Palestinians refuse to relocate. Air Canada grounds flights in response to workers’ strike.

Air Canada flight attendants picket outside an airport. These disgruntled members of the air travel workforce have been protesting for higher wages since 2024. However, the tensions reached new heights on Sunday, Aug.17, 2025. (Photographs courtesy of John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette)

An Israeli flag stands among the rubble left from nearly two years of ongoing war between Israel and Palestine. The war wages despite worldwide opposition and outrage. (Photograph courtesy of Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Home news: It is my turn to make the Sunday waffles. Other than that, not much to report because Sundays are a day of not much to do, and that’s the way we like it.

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After a week of introspection behind the lens of a camera and the keyboard of a computer, I reached a several conclusions.

First, my life is good.

I have a gorgeous wife, two beautiful daughters, fun pets, a vehicle, and a shelter that keeps us safe.

The news of the rest of the world aside, nothing presented to me by the algorithms on my phone comes close to my here and now. Try as it may, it lacks the pureness of watching the human experience flourish before my eyes.

Don’t get me wrong, I still read the news and watch too many stupid videos on Instagram, but the dopamine drip is slowing down.

I am seeing the world through the eyes of babes, and it’s much more rewarding than seeing it unfold on a maligned little rectangle.

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I still believe that being informed is imperative, but being absorbed is a choice. I have spent the last six years studying the media and working as an independent journalist, and from what I’ve gathered, what began as a way to speak truth to power in a free nation is being reduced to a collective of political rhetoric enslaved to a media machine that operates for persuasion and profit.

There are exceptions. There are still powerful and dedicated journalists who utilize the media as an outlet for the voices in need of amplification. However, the constant exposure to the news we have subjected ourselves to needs to be re-examined.

It’s a big world out there, filled with approximately 8.2 billion moving parts— each one with the potential to ruin your day if you allow it.

Read the news. Know your world abroad, but immerse yourself in the world at home. Figure out which world is worthy of your majority attention because, in the grand scheme of things, there is very little you can control in this life.

Wars will wage. Wars will end. Economies will struggle. Economies will flourish. Crime will rise. Crime will fall. etc., etc. Such is the nature of the beast that feeds on our existence.

That being said, your opinions on the matters at hand are still relevant and important. But the situations that require your full and undivided attention exist between your front and back doors.

I think a lot of bad news begins in bad homes. All of this chaos and sensationalism came from somewhere, and it has only gotten worse the farther we have strayed from our tangible realities.

The scales of chaos and peace balance in the directions you tell them to move. You are not powerless to the aggressive ebbs and flows of this existence; you’re just overstimulated.

Thank you for reading this article. Now, for the love of God, turn this device off and catch up with someone you love.

There’s no caption on this one. Close this app and enjoy your life. (Javan Bair/JBMR)