All right, so I'm starting to reach my wits' end here. Is it just me or has the usual collection of negative events and bad news in American and the world (which have always been around), gotten so bad over the last few years that you're left wondering what there is to be optimistic about? Surely we all have worries about economic factors that aren't likely to ever turn around (as global demand skyrockets), like gas and food prices... and we all have our doubts I'm sure about the political systems that are there to serve us supposedly, and the people running them. Every year the politicians seem to become less and less trust-worthy ('cept for my homeboy Obama). Pharmaceutical companies and medical practices are now more profit-driven than they are caretaker-driven from a philosophical standpoint. You can't watch TV for 5 minutes without seeing a new drug ad, full of awful side-effects, but they peddle the crap anyway.
Everywhere you look there is regional conflict, political deception and general sense of self-interest. Obviously this is not to say there aren't good people doing positive things to improve the world, but they seem overwhelmed. I could go on about all the crazy shit we see going on in the world, but you'd have to be blind to not know what I'm talking about.
So my question is, how do you guys start to view the world with all this stuff going on? How do you keep a relatively positive outlook? Do you just take the attitude that societies and countries operate in cycles, alternating from largely positive, constructive eras to more negative, destructive ones (and it just repeats itself every 50-100 years), and so you don't care? Do you take the attitude that nothing that happens outside of your monkeysphere is within your control and so, to hell with it, you're just going to be happy with your life and hope no one crashes the party?
How do you read the headlines every day and observe behavior out in the world (everything from angry drivers and rude assholes at the checkout line, to the guy ringing the Salvation Army bell at Christmas time), and then make a determination as to how it's going to affect you our your outlook? Do you ignore it? Do you say "I have to do something to turn some part of it around, then I can feel good about things"?
I find myself scrapping to find something, anything that I can look at and say "all right... here's a sign that things will get better, that I should just shrug it all off", but it's hard. I don't like being a cynical a person, but it's hard to see what goes on out there every single day, seemingly getting worse by the month, and then turn around and say "well I'm going to be optimistic about everything." Optimism (at least in my world) has to be based on *something*. There has to be some positive force for change or collection of related stories that gives you reason to believe things may turn around soon.
I'm just not seeing it right now. I realize the news makes bucks by reporting negative stuff but some of it SO bad that they would be derelict in their duties if they didn't focus on it. I know we're never going to see stories about what the local United Way chapter accomplished this week but again those organizations always seem to tread water and not much more.
Maybe it's all pure science: the more people crammed into the planet, the less chance there is to educate everyone, the less resources there are for everyone, the more likely bad shit happens on a daily basis as a result? Condoms and assisted suicide for every citizen and every hospital?
So, how do you folks keep a positive outlook, because I am trying hard... I really am.
