Let’s face it; 2016 has been a rough year for everybody. Already there have been over 1,100 terrorist attacks accounting for nearly 10,000 fatalities. From the time my generation could remember we’ve been told that we’re “destroying the earth” by using up its resources and not replenishing them (which is completely true). The bottom line is that it’s sometimes difficult to have a positive attitude with all the negativity we see on a daily basis. Through many of the events that have unfolded this year and throughout our lifetimes it seems that we are seeing some of the worst humanity has to offer; and that’s the problem with the news media, we only hear about the bad, but when we actually look there is a lot of good in this world. I think we could all use some cheering up so here’s a few reasons to be proud of the human race today.
As I said before the environment has been a big issue for as long as I can remember but we’ve actually made significant progress in repairing some of the damage we’ve caused and put plans into motion to try to set us back on the right track.
I don’t know if any of you have ever heard about the Pacific Garbage Patch (I hadn’t before a few years ago); it’s basically what happens when waste is carelessly thrown away and finds its way into the ocean. The currents carry all the trash to the same location forming this giant mass in the middle of the ocean. Thanks to Boyan Slat and others like him we are much closer to cleaning up this mess. Slat, while he was still in high school, came up with an idea that could possibly solve our problem. You can read more about this project on his website, www.theoceancleanup.com.
We also have the recent news that the hole in the ozone layer is shrinking largely in thanks to our efforts to ban the use of chlorofluorocarbons (the chemicals that deplete the ozone) and that manatees are no longer endangered! In fact, fifteen different species have been removed from endangered status in recent years. Last, but certainly not least, deforestation is decreasing on a global scale. There’s certainly still a long way to go, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.
One thing about us that I find extremely encouraging is that it is in our human nature (for most of us anyway) to help each other. We see this in the celebrities who, like it or not, are influencing the minds of millions of people and are spending their time and money to bring hope to those who don’t have much.
I believe that in the wake of tragedy, we see the best of humanity. The most obvious examples I can think of are the floods that affected South Carolina late last year and the more recent flooding in Louisiana. When the devastation in South Carolina occurred many people lost their homes, their cars, and too many lost their lives. But in the aftermath, the state banded together and those that were able gave their time, money, and resources to help those who were affected.
We’ve seen the same amazing response to the Louisiana flooding. People from all over the country are looking for ways to help and I’ve personally heard of at least three groups from my area sending people down there with supplies and to help the people rebuild their lives.
Do we have a lot we still need to work on? Yes, definitely. But we can stop giving ourselves such a hard time because every day, we’re trying to become better than we were yesterday. We have people with amazing abilities and intelligence using their gifts to better our world rather than try to make a quick buck. We’re about to send people to another planet! We might not be so bad after all.
