Looking at the news lately is not what any of us would call a fun experience. It’s more reminiscent of a ride on an endless roller coaster of emotions with no stops, and most people want to get off. There're so many stories of pain, of heartbreak and tragedy and disappointment. Sprinkled in are soaring highs of triumph and courage—the stories we hold on to in our hearts—but the good seems to be vastly outnumbered by the bad. It’s this very image that’s creating an era of pessimism and hurt. And I’m never going to say that’s not valid…but I will say that I see hope. I see hope in all of this, even when it gets hard.

A lot of people call that “blind optimism.” They call it being naïve, or childish, or even stupid. I’ve seen it all, and I’ve come to hate that terminology. There’s no such thing as “blind optimism.” We are all well aware of the tragedies of today, and we mourn with them; we read the papers or watch the news, and we know what’s going on. We’re not blind. In fact, I think that those of us who remain optimistic have 20/20 vision. I can see the hope in the future even as I’m devastated by the loss surrounding us. Hope is effervescent, and I can completely see it. It’s everywhere if we would just stop and breathe. If we would just look and listen.

I hear hope on the tongue of a slam poet, beating out their voice on a street corner. People will see them, then turn to watch Belissa Escoloedo, Zariya Allen, and Rhiannon McGavin reciting their poetry on TV; their heads will nod along with them, and there’s hope in that. When they share that gift, people listen, learn, and, sometimes, change. I hear hope in the words of a singer with a lilting rhythm, whether they be on an arena stage or at an indie coffeehouse’s open mic night. Their fans’ eyes brighten and they can be cheered up by listening to a single song—that’s something we all have in common. That sense of unity across walks of life gives off hope, like it has for generations, from John Lennon to John Legend.

I see hope in kids learning their confidence from average people living their lives on the Internet. In the fan lines of Connor Franta, Jacksepticeye, shep689, Meghan Rienks, or IISuperwomanII, literal millions of people have been inspired. They’ve learned to smile through hard times and stand up for what they believe in. They’ve learned to love themselves and those surrounding them. That’s some futuristic 20/20 vision right there: not juvenile, but motivational. I see hope in the park of a city, filled to the brim with people. Over there, a group of kids plays football; over here, a street performer taps out a beat; on the opposite side, an elderly couple strolls while friends from school flop on the grass and rant about life. The diversity in such a situation is so hopeful. That normalcy of existing with other people that you know nothing about is beautiful. No one and nothing can take that away from you.

Hope is truly everywhere. It’s in the fiery debate between a Republican and a Democrat, where each walks away with some new seed of thought planted in their head. It’s in a peaceful protest standing outside my city’s capital and in the foyer of my high school, silent but well-meaning and powerful, sparking a conversation. It’s in two young girls trading a notebook back and forth to write a story. It’s in the communication between a pen pal in South Carolina and one in South Africa. It’s in teenagers coming of voting age actually educating themselves and concerning themselves with the country’s well-being. It’s in the fact that we are all fighting for our future, regardless of what that may be, with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s eternal words springing back to life. It’s in Simone Manuel’s gold medal, and in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s revolutionary theater. Hope is everywhere.

Yes, times are tough. I’m not going to deny that, and I am worried about what the future is going to hold. But isn’t everyone? Throughout time, haven’t we always been anxious about what tomorrow will hold? That’s never going to change. What can change, though, is how we deal with it. How we fight for our present and our posterity. It completely seems cheesy and cliché (don’t roll your eyes: you know this is repeated for a reason!), but that takes every single one of us. It takes one person to start, one individual crazy enough to think they can change the world. So, because of that, because of that hope, they will. I swear to you, they will. You will. And my biggest promise to anyone reading this is: hope and optimism are out there.

You just have to be blind enough to see it.