Even though I hated reading “A Tale of Two Cities” in high school (much like any forced reading from school), the famous introductory quote “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” has stuck with me and persisted to be the one quote in which I can use to describe my feelings of the world today.

Much like the book, there are many times I wish I would not have been forced to take part in trying to understand this crazy thing we call life. Then there are those times where I realize that my perspective is not the best and if I really wanted to understand or learn from the story I would read it again and reanalyze it knowing that my experiences and where I am today will most likely change my view.

Many people in the world are stuck in the mindset that today is “the worst of times”, and it’s fairly understandable with the circus that is modern politics around the world, the constant fear of terrorist attacks, and the increasing difficulty to pay for school when generations before us were able to make higher education affordable by simply working part time while in school.

There is constantly negativity being spread around via the media and gossip on social media; so much so, it is challenging to be able to get through a day without thinking how crappy your job/society/relationships may be. In order to “bring balance to the force” and keep from depressing ourselves, it is important to try and stay positive as much as possible.

It is possible to stay positive while everything around you may be falling apart. Even if you are having what you may think to be the worst day of your life, there can always be some silver lining, even if it seems sad or cryptic. Some Native American cultures don’t view death as a bad thing; it allows them to give back to the earth and help life go on as their bodies decompose and different insects and animals eat the remains.

Anyway, my point here is that staying positive allows us find the best of times during the worst of times, or learn to make the best of times out of the worst of times. I want to discuss some of the factors that prevent us from finding the light in the dark, fear and ungratefulness.

Fear comes in all kinds of forms and can be expressed in many ways. Whether it’s being afraid of heights or rejection or talking to the opposite sex, fear rules many lives. Fear that might not even be our own even has the ability to affect our lives, whether it be a relationship failing or legislation passed by those in our communities.

After 9/11, airport security (especially in America) has dramatically increased and even spurred our War on Terrorism. The thing with fear is that we respond to it with either “fight” or “flight," but until we recognize that fear it is much harder to respond appropriately. In order to be able to choose to fight or fly we have to understand what exactly it is we are afraid of. I believe the fear people face on a regular basis is the fear of rejection and being inadequate. I also believe that once they remember that they are never guaranteed to even make it through the day this will allow them to do their best to make the present moment the greatest it can be.

Oftentimes we run away from our problems and make excuses for why we ran away, blaming our problems on issues that had little to nothing to do with our failure, when in reality it was all because we were afraid. Not to say fear isn’t rational, but how often do we tell ourselves, “I wish I could (have) done that,” without even taking the steps to go in that direction? When we realize exactly how much of a gift each day is and just how great it is to be alive, we can be thankful for so much more than we are normally and then our fears can melt away. Why be unhappy and live and act in fear just to get to tomorrow and do it all over again? When you are thankful for every breath, you will live life to the fullest, not the other way around.

Carpe diem, my friends!