Despite the news cycle, I’m downright EXCITED about the year to come. There are so many great people, places, events, and movements afoot that we seem to be at a tipping point for unprecedented awesomeness in human history. At no point has the world seen such amazing advances in technology, such instant access to like-minded community, such a relative lack of violence, and yes, such an upswing of peace.
Skeptical? The headlines beg to differ, after all. The truth is, perspective is everything. Yes, there will always be bad news, bummer days, and people who drive you crazy, but how you relate to each of these is up to you. Cup half full or half empty - it's a choice.
Read on for a shortlist of inspirational optimists of every stripe. From highbrow to mainstream, these individuals are shaping a different vision of our world, and in so doing, are willing a better world into being.
Super Awesome Optimists
Suler’s excellent and prolific website, One Willow Apothecaries, is like finding a magic fairy in an internet forest. Her recent post, “A Hymn for Optimism”, is just that: a soaring song to the glory of all that is good in our universe. It seemed a fitting time of year to send this hymn your way.
The folks at this awesome website recently rang in twenty years of bringing to light all that is uplifting in current events. I bookmark this and check in often to remind myself that there is indeed SO MUCH good out there.
Pinker, a Harvard psychology professor, is the author of Better Angels of Our Nature. It’s a hefty tome that illustrates, with indisputable clarity and bucketfuls of hard data, that humankind is more peaceful now than at any other time in history. Oh yeah, and it’s one of Bill Gates’ favourite reads!
The founder of Tank’s Good News, available on Facebook and Instagram, describes himself as a “relentless optimist”. Hundreds of thousands agree as his daily updates regularly go viral. TGN is a little ray of sunshine in your day, and it has nowhere to go but up.
Macron has stepped in to take on a vital global leadership role, specifically, pushing for the Paris Climate Accord to become a reality. With one notable exception, every single country in the world has now agreed to sign on to an agreement that will drastically curb global greenhouse gas emissions (the U.S. has opted out under the current administration). The Paris Accord represents global cooperation the likes of which we have never seen before, all for the goal of keeping our planet healthy and safe for generations to come.
These are just a few of the bright lights on our horizon. Whether it be at the grassroots or international level, each of these mavericks has chosen to buck the prevailing wisdom by celebrating the sunny side. At the end of the day, we all have a choice to see the best the world has to offer, to celebrate it, and to spread the joy.
