Be a Positive Force in the World

Well, 2016 has been hailed by some as the worst year, ever. While that’s plainly nearsighted (remember the Bubonic Plague? A third of Europe succumbed to that black death), it’s been tough for a lot of us. Three fabulous idols, Prince, David Bowie, and George Michael passed away, along with Leonard Cohen and Alan Rickman. Fifty people were shot and killed in an Orlando nightclub. Nice, France happened. Berlin. Aleppo. A beautiful collection of thirty-three young artists died in a warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif. About half the people in our country are mourning the events of Nov. 7.

I will be the first to say it’s important to stay updated with current events. The political climate is volatile. White supremacists are threatening an armed march in Whitefish, for Pete’s sake. However, the media has reached a suffocating, difficult to untangle fever pitch. Unplugging from the bad news is vital for mental health, as is soaking up the good. Here’s a list of good things that happened this year:

Child mortality rates are lower than ever in history and continue to go down. Michael Jordan donated two million dollars to bridge the gap between police and the community. Over 800 Boko Haram Hostages were rescued by the Nigerian Army. For the first time, a woman was the nominee for a major political party in the U.S. My sister got married.

Every year, good things will happen and bad things will happen. Some people won’t agree on which are which, and those disagreements might make more things happen. We can’t change what happened in 2016 but we can be aware of what those things might mean about the future and, most of all, try to be positive forces in our worlds.

In 2017, let’s be aware of the world, respectful of others, and mindful of our own mental health.