#6 Be Optimistic
Dear R&M,
I know that the two of you have struggled with the barrage of bad news that seems to surround us — be it children dying in Syria, yet another shooter on campus or in an airport. Of course this last year’s entire election campaign in the US was a downer with no end of bad news — or so it seemed. The new year brought stories of women being harassed in our home town and the insensitive remarks of the police and politicians. And all this just as our eyes, hearts and minds are opened to discrimination, inequity, privilege, and supremacy — whether of class, gender, orientation or race! If you’ve had days when you’ve not wanted to get out of bed, I certainly understand. Yet knowing all this, I urge you to stay positive — be optimistic.
“Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”
― Augustine of Hippo
I say this for a number of reasons. As we’ve seen in my life time (peace in Ireland, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, end of civil war in Bosnia-Herzogovina) a lot of intractable problems have been solved. Sure we have new ones that have taken their place — be it ISIS/Syria or Yemen and old ones that don’t seem to have any end in sight — such as Israel/Palestine or the fight for gender parity.
Yet, nearly 1 billion people have been taken out of extreme poverty in 20 years. This last year 3.5 million Americans were raise above the poverty line according to the US census. We’ve practically done away with polio and fighting the good fight against malaria.
If we care about the world around us and seek to effect positive change it is critical to stay positive and optimistic. Eric Barker said it best with this story of a Navy bomb disposal “officer who once told him a story about trying to defuse a mine while underwater — and realizing that he had become trapped, unable to move his hands or feet. What was the next thought that went through the chief’s head?
“I’m still breathing, so that’s good. Now what else do I have that’s going for me?”
We are in a better state than that officer was — so we have reason to stay positive to fight the good fight. Be optimistic!
Further reading
How to be Calm Under Pressure
Emotional Resilience
