For on one side lay Scylla and on the other divine Charybdis terribly sucked down the saltwater of the sea. Verily whenever she belched it forth, like a cauldron on a great fire she would seethe and bubble in utter turmoil, and high overhead the spray would fall on the tops of both the cliffs.
The Odyssey, Homer
This week I was sucked down by my own Charybdis, which manifested in the form of a real-life Hollywood marriage defamation case being blasted on TV and the internet. I didn’t drown, but I was trapped for over 30 hours in its gaping maw—hours I will never get back.
The trial (which is still on-going at the time of this blog post publication) has all the trappings of a Hollywood drama: a powerful A-last actor, a beautiful woman, exotic locations, British butlers, security guards, fights on private jets, drugs, Coachella, etc. The list goes on and on, and if indeed it was a scripted drama, it would be described as over-written.
There are dramatic court scenes to watch in real-time, with expert witnesses, hyperbolic lawyers, and calm judges. And then, superimposed on actual court drama, are also the YouTube “LawTube” real-time lawyers, who spend over 12 hours a day in a group of 2-7 analyzing every moment, from the significance of the clothes worn by the defendant to the subtle intonation of the judges phrasing of the word “Sustained.” Meta-lawyering, so to speak.
Yet watching this trial offers me nothing.
Financially it is a significant distraction, with a large time opportunity cost for any working writer.
Intellectually the benefit is thin. sure, I do learn a little about defamation laws in the State of Virginia, but the practical benefit of that for me is limited. And, in contrast to my other impractical intellectual pursuits, such as my current reading of Wittgenstein, there are no deep philosophical problems to be understood and resolved here.
Physically, this trial has also been negative. Sitting in front of a TV or iPad (or even an iPhone!) for hours at a time is not physiologically healthy, especially after a recent hip replacement when movement is everything.
Finally—and worst of all—there is the spiritual cost of being absorbed in this trial. I don’t know these people. they are not part of my inner or even outer circle of family and friends. Yet I am taking voyeuristic pleasure in watching the suffering of others, which in its way fuels the fire, contributing to this couple’s suffering. (Of note, part of the reason I am not specifically mentioning the plaintiff or defendant’s names is that I don’t want to add anymore kindling to the already red-hot flame of internet negativity).
For myself, it’s beyond time to escape from my Charybdis.
Thank goodness there is a 10-day break.