Some perspective would help...

           I work really hard on a daily basis to find positives in everything.  Some days and with some people this can be a difficult task, but a worthwhile one.  People who are continually negative and have a pessimistic view on seemingly everything perplex me.  I often remember the film “American Beauty” and recall how the main character can find beauty even in an old plastic bag being blown by the wind.  It may seem silly, but I don’t know how you could get through life sanely without making extra effort to have a positive outlook. 

For some people this can be quite easy.  I’m sure we all know those who are always kind, happy and positive; however, I’m just as sure that we all know those people who are rude, downers and negative about everything.  The world is full of so much negativity; civil war in Syria, 2 disastrous wars fought by America, rape in India, terrorists gaining ground in Mali, bombings in Turkey and on and on and on.  However, the little things in life are often overlooked.  The smile between two strangers, the warm embrace between a father and his daughter at the airport or the person that takes time from his day to feed and listen to a homeless person. 

All too often our collective attention via the mass media is drawn to the negative, but rarely are the small positives that occur every minute, every hour and every day are brought to our attention.  This wave of negativity is not just seen through the mainstream media, but also in social media.  The negativity of political posts and discussions has hit a chronic level.  I am willing, if not eager, to discuss and debate via Facebook, but the rude and overtly negative posts unwilling for intellectual discussion have gotten all too common.  The few, but refreshing, posts with uplifting quotes or images can be inspiring, but are way too frequent to the hatred and disrespect afforded to our elected officials.  My hope is that our modern society could take stock a bit more of just how fortunate we are and how beautiful the world can be and not disregard the negative in the world, but measure it against the positive that is not seen in the small moments of the day.