Living in the Light Doesn’t Mean Ignoring the Darkness

A wise man gave me some advice when I was about 16-17 years old. “Continue to look for the good,” he said. I have tried to do that throughout my life – to look for the good in people, to give them the benefit of the doubt, to surround myself with things that are uplifting and inspirational and steer clear of things that are degrading or depressing.

I’ve enjoyed this somewhat naive way of living for fifty years, but every once in a while the darkness rears its head, gets up in my face, and I’m...