I’m sure I am not alone in feeling overwhelmed and deeply saddened by the extreme rise in violence we have been seeing lately with police brutality and the deadly retaliation efforts making the ultimate statement of disapproval. Not only have we been bombarded with violence due to racial difference and fair treatment but a quick peruse through Yahoo will yield stories of hate crimes because of sexual preference, gender identification, religion, and ethnicity. Then add for flare your stories of domestic violence and rape or sex trade cases and the sum total is a picture of the world as a terrible, unsafe, and doomed home for us all.
While I believe it is important to inform of tragic events especially related to crimes of hate so that we the people are informed and able to hold discussions about how to solve these problems; I feel discouraged of how disproportionate the reporting of negative events are to the positive that happens. I do not believe the negative occurrences outweigh the positive in the world. I believe it only appears so because of how we report current events. I would like to challenge individuals, especially those who do publish their musings in forums such as blogs, to write more about good happening.
So many people are wondering through life unsure of quite who they want to be or simply longing to feel a connection to others. They are looking for a “train” to come by so they can jump on board. They go about their days interacting with people such as co-workers, store clerks, gym members, or bar friends. These people with whom they interact share their thoughts about events and happenings and for individuals waiting for their train to come by they find themselves jumping on board swept away by the momentum of the moment. They want to relate and feel a part of something and before they put a lot of conscious thought into their beliefs and values find themselves supporting the beliefs set forth by the train conductor who has just picked them up.
This kind of chain reaction happens all the time. I know for myself I have had this happen to me when a co-worker or group of co-workers starts talking gossip. The pull to be a part of the group and that feeling of belonging is strong. More than once I have had to catch myself and say “what the hell are you doing Kerri? You don’t believe in this kind of talk” and pull myself away. I want to put my energy into creating positivity to share with the world. So for today I am going to write a top 10 list of good things I have personally seen happen. Leave a comment and share the positive you have seen happening in your life lately.
Top 10 Good Happens List
A lady I work with cares so much about the students she has been coming in all summer even though she is not paid to do so to prepare for the next school year
I saw a great musician performing for free during a town event
I often see teachers and other school staff bring snacks to feed students who are hungry and without food
I saw a tourist out in the ocean scared and over their head with the waves and three people swam over to help him get safely to shore
A lady I work with donated a kidney to a family member in need
I went to a really cool car show that was a food drive for the local food bank
I went to a zoo that has free admission
My favorite festival, the Girdwood Forest Fair, offers tons of great music and is entirely run by volunteers and is free
The town I live in has a community garden where people volunteer their time to plant and keep the garden beautiful. It is placed inside a walking track so you can get your exercise while looking off into the beautifully landscaped gardens
Whenever I want to learn something new I can pull up a youtube video and learn how to do it for free