I have never been a person that keeps up with or is really interested in what is in the news. I've always relied on my parents and social media to keep me in the loop on the big happenings in the world. On the rare occasion that I watch the news with my parents, it always seems like the stories being reported are about bad things happening locally and around the world. Recently, it seems that all I have read and heard about has been terrorists attacks and nasty politics talk. To me it just really seems that the news puts such a huge emphasis on all that is going wrong and not enough emphasis on what is going right in the world. That being said, I would like to take some time and space and dedicate it to shedding light on some good things happening around the world.
The first story I'm sharing is something I came across on my Facebook news feed. Days ago police officers found something they didn't expect in a tent on Gordon State University in Georgia. Fred Barley, 19, was sleeping in the tent and shared a remarkable story. Barley told the officers that he rode his little brothers bike for over six hours (50 miles) to make it to Gordon State University to register for his classes this fall. All Barley had with him was the bike he rode, a tent, two duffel bags, some water, and a box of cereal. He planned to camp out and look for a job until he could move into the dorms in August. Instead of ticketing Barley, the police officers paid for a motel room for him to stay in for a few days. The story spread and soon Barley was receiving support from many others, including a job offer at a local pizzeria. A GoFundMe page that was started to help him has raised over $180,000 in five days. Hopefully this money can help him achieve his dream of graduating and going to medical school.
The next story I want to share is related to the Orlando shooting that occurred in June. Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo was one of the victims that was shot and killed in the Orlando shooting. Days after the shooting his grandmother was flying to Orlando to attend his funeral. One of the Jetblue flight attendants, Kelly Davis Karas, had the idea of passing a sheet of paper around the plane for passengers to sign and offer to the grandmother as a sign of their condolences. As the sheet of paper was being passed around the plane, Karas realized it was taking much longer than expected. Passengers were writing so much more than just their names on the sheet of paper, soon she had to pass around more paper to provide more space and speed up the process. The flight attendants offered the grandmother the notes that the passengers wrote for her. Once the plane landed, every single passenger stopped to speak and share a moment with the grieving woman.
These are just two of so many positive news stories that have occurred recently. Stories like these, that show that people can be good, help me believe in the society that we live in that is often portrayed as so horrible. The news will probably never stop reporting negative stories about what is happening around the world; it is up to us to support one another and create more positive stories like the ones I have shared for others to hear. So, don't be afraid to help your neighbor or smile at a stranger. The more good than happens the more it will be shared.
