You know what makes me most weary, in times like this? Negative hyperbole. Specifically, I am tired of statements like, "If ____ happens, it will be the end of ____ as we know it."
I can't help thinking, why must we make it seem so dire? Can we really not survive whatever setbacks might occur as a result of, oh, say, the choice for next President of the U.S.? And more generally, why don't we express more confidence in our ability to cope with setbacks? I'm talking both about the U.S. specifically, and humanity as a whole.
A lot of people like the saying, "This, too, shall pass." I prefer something more optimistic, like, "This, too, is unlikely to kill us, and therefore is likely to make us stronger, because it's in our nature to learn and grow." Too wordy, I know. Not as good of a sound byte. But more complete and accurate.
Americans are resilient! Human beings are resilient! We may not agree about a host of things, and we may take turns "winning" or "losing", but when we lose, do we simply quit?
No! Not if history is any guide.
Sure, it feels cathartic to say that sometimes. This far, and no farther! I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more! Etc. But when push comes to shove, most of the individuals I know, even those who complain the loudest about things they are worried about, keep fighting back, and trying, and growing, and loving, and living.
It's what we do. Same as we've always done. Same as we're always gonna do.
I know that I'm an optimistic person mostly because of the combination of genes and nurturing I inherited. I didn't just wake up one day, decide I was too pessimistic, and decide to be optimistic from now on. It has always been a core part of who I am.
But I also believe there are rational reasons to support optimism. Like several other billion people in the world, I am able to sit here and type this message in my comfortable home, and the bits I'm entering will soon be shot through wires and antennas and satellite dishes and broadcast all over the planet. I am living in a science fiction future that is getting more amazing by the day!
My wife is allowed to vote and have a job and choose her own career. My daughter and son will have more opportunity than either their mother or I had. Yes, they'll have some challenges I didn't have, but they'll also have had me to tell them things and show them how to live and love and thrive.
My friends of color are not owned by anyone, and they're allowed to associate freely with me in all places of business and leisure I know of.
We are having active conversations constantly about just what our problems are, and how we can fix them, and we are constantly, relentlessly trying to move things forward. I know we don't have consensus about just what is wrong and just what needs to be done, but that we're having such intense conversations shows at least that we care. Even people who disagree with you care!
I don't rule out that very bad things may happen. They've happened before, and they'll happen again. Some of them will be of our own doing, and some of them will be The Universe randomly screwing us over, like it does from time to time. But if any speck of humanity survives whatever bad thing may happen, then that speck will strive to find a way to survive and grow and flourish.
I really believe that. Even when there's all this negativity, I still believe what underlies it are basic motivations to not be satisfied with the status quo, and to try to make things better. We are getting there! Slowly but surely, things are changing for the better.
I know my saying these things won't necessarily change anyone's mind about the particular things they're worried about happening right now. But I just wanted to do my part, at least for the moment, to slightly shift the balance in your Friends feed towards optimism. I hope that's okay.
No comments:
Post a Comment