Seeing as to how you clicked on this article, you must be wondering about what bad thing has happened now. Do me a favor. Turn on the news: Fox, CNN, ABC, anything. What do you see? People dying, bombs going off, murders, rapes, and thefts. What you didn't see was a UPS driver preventing a house from burning down, a fireman save a kitten, or a dispatcher saving a police officer's life. Aren't those articles more uplifting than reading about North Korea's latest nuclear threat, or ISIS's most recent attack? While I do agree that those things are important, I pose this question: why are we more interested in the bad things that happen than the good?
You may have heard of the song "Dirty Laundry" by Don Henley. The whole song is about how people love to hear bad things about other people: "people love it when you lose, they love dirty laundry." Take a look around you. What's on the tabloids, Facebook, the news? You guessed it- dirty laundry. So and so cheated on their husband. Donald Trump has, yet again, angered millions of Americans. Isn't it more interesting to read about a homicide than a charity? I'm by no means innocent: my favorite TV channel is the ID Channel (just ask my roommate). That's why I am doing this little "social experiment." I am anxious to see how many people click this link due to the negative title. For those of you who do, I'm not judging you by any means because I do the same thing. I am just intrigued by human nature, and am utilizing Odyssey to answer some of my questions. So shout out to all of you who are human and curious!
So is negativity the new "hip" thing? Is it cool to be dark and mysterious? Maybe so. After scrolling through my social media accounts, I came to realize how much this world is hurting and broken. If we want a positive change, we need to be the positive change. Instead of insulting someone, compliment them. Rather than curse someone, praise them. Don't watch that violent movie, turn on old cartoons. Surrounding yourself with happy people will make you a happier person. Cut ties with anything that brings you sadness or pain (minus the occasional chick flick). Get rid of toxic people in in your life. I promise you'll come out better in the end!
So next time you come across an article with a mean title, don't read it. When you're in Barnes and Noble and you pass that magazine rack, skip the tabloids. Don't snoop for a person's dirty laundry, and don't root for other people's failures. Dedicate your time to happy things, and keep on watching those cat videos.
