Looking On the Bright Side Isn’t a Piece of Cake

I got a good laugh out of this.  Comedy is rooted in truth; if there weren’t some truth to the statement, it wouldn’t be funny.

For me, it’s more than some truth; this really encapsulates my thinking.

Yes, optimism is great, as it’s a self-fulfilling prophesy.  People who have hope tend to act on that hope, thus improving the world around them.

And yes, those who seek to ruin our world with greed, corruption, and environmental destruction for profit can only win if people of decency and conscience give up.

Every time I write a post in which I discuss the horror of some of our worst current-day conditions, I usually close by encouraging people to fight against them.  And each time I think: Really? Do I honestly think this is going to work?

Maybe it’s kind of liberating to admit: we’re screwed.  

Whether or not this is true depends on how we define “we.”

As I told my son just yesterday: “The truth is that neither you nor I will be profoundly affected personally by the destruction of American values that we see all around us.  We’re not black, gay, poor, women, Muslim, Latino, factory workers, unhealthy, or driven out of our home countries due to violence.  There will always be food, clean water, healthcare, and an overall good standard of living for those who can afford it.  In fact, there will always be Ivy League colleges, yachts, mansions and country clubs for those who can afford to be in that echelon.

The problem really only exists for everyone else…and for the people who care about everyone else.