Hope, Actually, Is All Around
Photo by Matt Collamer on UnsplashWhen I read the news I feel as though there is no escaping humanity’s demise. I am no longer surprised by the negativity. The reels of natural disasters brought on by climate change, which our species caused. The constant barrage of hate crimes, war crimes, death, and destruction. As the saying goes, “Same shit, different day.” All of the doom and gloom fills me with dread. I feel defeated. Hopeless.
We humans have always been divided on anything and everything. But in this technological age of connection, we feel more divided than ever. For example, I am friendly with my neighbors. While we chat in the driveway of our homes, the kids frolic around us. We laugh together, connecting on our common ground of parenthood, weather, local sports, or school. You know, “safe” topics. Then, inevitably, we become Facebook friends. That’s how I learn that my driveway friend voted for Trump. Yikes.
It’s not that we are learning secrets about people, but rather we are learning things about them all out of order, and in such an impersonal way. I’d much rather talk to my Trumper friend about politics in person. She may roll her eyes at the futility of it all, and explain about picking between two evils. Something a meme on Facebook could not convey. Or maybe not. Might be, she is a super fan of his. If I learned this in person, I could speak to why I am a super not-fan of his. There might even be a mutual respect between us. Instead of a Me vs. Her agenda. Sure, it would be uncomfortable, but not any more uncomfortable than avoiding her because of a stupid meme she shared a year ago.
I follow a few “good news” accounts on Instagram. Such as Upworthy, Good News Movement, and Wholesome Meets The Internet. I like to supplement stories of love and humanity into my daily feed. Perhaps this is my privilege, but rarely have I encountered someone who was rude or mean to my face. In those rare occasions that someone was rude or confrontational, I usually give them the benefit of the doubt. They could be having the worst day of their life. You do not know what shoes someone is walking in.
As a former Pediatric ICU nurse, I have been with people on such days. As unbelievable as it seems, the world keeps spinning. They have to grocery shop, pay bills, eat, and fill up on gas just like the rest of us. The most profound thing one of my former patient’s parents said to me was: “When you cherish what you have, you honor what I have lost.” They do not want you to help them. They want you to love the shit out of what you already have.
Speaking of terrible days, I do not watch cable news anymore. Like my fellow Millennials, I stream everything I watch. The only time I consume news is through social media. I know, I know. It’s not the most reliable place to get your news, but hear me out. I have actively sought out news outlets that have consistently polled as unbiased. I follow National Public Radio, Associated Press, and Public Broadcasting Service News. The stories they share are still full of gloom and doom, but at least I can count on it being factual. With as little a bias slant as American media can muster.
While I doom scroll, I come across feel-good posts by the aforementioned accounts. Every time, they fill me with hope. My heart swells. My eyes tear up. I cannot help it. Because deep down, we know, people are good. Especially in this season of cozy holiday tidings, I am all aglow. The Christmas movie that epitomizes that glowing warmth (in my humble opinion) is Love Actually. In the final scene, the narrator’s words voice over scenes of people meeting at the airport. He says:
“When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge — they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love, actually, is all around.”
I have an abundance of love in my life. If you look for it, you will see that we all practice acts of kindness, compassion, and love. And that, gives me hope.
[image error]Hope, Actually, Is All Around was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
