I have to say, I'm riding a wave of optimism lately. It's not so much centered on any aspect of my own life, but where I can see the world going. You're probably thinking that's completely absurd. If you watch the news (I mean the stuff that isn't cable "news"), you have racism issues that we should have been over decades ago (not to mention people who think we already are over them), an entire region of the world that seems to be growing more unstable, a vocal and insanely stupid segment of the population that thinks science isn't real... there are a lot of reasons to think the world is going down hill.
But two things got me thinking in the other direction this week. The first is around all of the reviews for this Tomorrowland movie coming out. The critics are pretty split, but they agree that the premise is straight forward enough, that the optimism for our future has eroded to the point that negativity in our culture is creating a self-manifesting destiny. Indeed, Walt Disney himself was fascinated with this look at progress, as in the Carousel of Progress, and the idea that technology and innovation could lead to a better world. That was why he was driven to build an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which unfortunately only became Epcot.
The other part of my realization around optimism is rooted in what I've said previously. You have to avoid dramatic people if you want to avoid drama. There's a deeper meaning to that though. Miserable people spread misery. Honestly, misery doesn't love company, it loves people who can get you out of it. I think about the time around my divorce, the hardest transition I've ever had, and how there were certain people I just needed to steer clear of to make myself better. To this day, I just can't be around people who think that everything sucks and the world is going down the tubes.
Sure, life is pretty good. The last ten years have been an enormous turn around for me. It had its ups and downs, but certainly it has been a net improvement. I didn't get there by wallowing in shit and proclaiming that everything will suck. Admittedly, it has been a battle to not fall into that realm, and I haven't always succeeded in staying out of that mode.
There is a lot of good in the world, and I can see it improving things. You have to choose to see it, and understand that the scope is irrelevant. It's the aggregate that counts. I see friends working at non-profits that are changing lives. I see people volunteering time and money to help those institutions. I've gotten to know people who have overcome some serious tragedies to drive significant change, even in the context of for-profit business. Then I see people like Elon Musk who are hell bent on changing the way the world consumes energy, all the while making money off of really expensive cars. Oh, and I think I've mentioned this before... we carry super computers around with us that can access most of the information in the world almost instantly. Put yourself in 1985 and ask yourself if anyone could have understood that was possible in our lifetime.
So if you're some punk-ass Debbie Downer, get out of the way. The world doesn't suck, you do. We're standing on the edge of an amazing world, dramatically and amazingly better than the one we had even ten years ago. Stop taking sides among the fuckwits running for office, turn off the goddamn cable news, and look around. Stop being scared of everything. There hasn't been a time in human history where we were better equipped to improve our world. Be a part of the solution.
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