In the midst of police brutality, brutality on police, increasingly publicized racism, and what seems to be the most controversial election yet, there seems to be little room for hope and faith in people. Through media networks, the prevalence of police brutality becomes available to many, thus increasing awareness of high profile cases, such as the cases of Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, and many more. Some of the nation is reciprocating the issue of stereotyping and retaliating violently against police officers in New York, Iowa, Texas, and more. Racism is not a new issue, but with the growth of social networks comes an increase in publicized incidents, as well as incidents that occur through social networks. Racial remarks are still publicly expressed while racial slurs and racist jokes are increasingly perceived as acceptable, under the impression that those who use them "have friends of that race," excusing said behavior. The presidential candidates are Donald Trump, who many believe to be misleading and under-qualified; Hillary Clinton, who may be better experienced but lacks honesty and consequently the trust of the nation; and Gary Johnson, the third party candidate who is alarmingly unfamiliar with significant global current events.
Of course these are only a few of the issues in our country at the moment but the point here is, America seems to be moving backwards. More and more of my friends and family are telling me that they're "losing hope" or "giving up" on society. Things seem difficult as of late, but here are a few examples from around the world of why you should hold onto your faith in the world:
In Kenya, the first ever beauty pageant for albino men and women just took place. It's always amazing to see the celebration of others' unique traits.
Over in India, Savji Dholakia, CEO of Hare Krishna Exports, gifted $7.5 million worth of cars and flats to his best employees. There are kind bosses out there.
In Colombia, a homeless man named Francisco Hernández found a parked motorcycle with keys still in the ignition but he guarded the bike and held onto the keys until the rightful owner came looking for him. He even refused the award that the owner offered because it was the "we must help one another because it's the right thing to do, without any kind of expectation for a reward."
Chicago is known to be one of the most racially segregated cities in the U.S. but parents of two drastically different schools are working to merge the two. Of the two schools, one is among Chicago's wealthiest schools, offering the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and the other is a school historically known to serve students from public housing and to this day, mostly poor, black students. One of the parents involved feels that merging the two schools would create an opportunity for Chicago to work on its issues with race and class. This could serve as an example for the nation, in light of all of the violence and brutality. If children can get along with other children regardless of traits that may set them apart, the possibility for the rest of us to respect others and behave civil is definitely there. Let's use it.
In a country continuing to battle a civil war for over 5 years now, Syrian students are continuing to carry on with "grace and dignity." The people maintain such trusting manners, to the extent that an American visitor lacking the properly converted Syrian pounds could easily hitch a cab ride to the exchange office, leaving the cab driver with only his word while he awaited the American's return. This is the country that captured the world's attention when a photo of a young boy coated in blood and dust went viral. The fact that these people, who have likely been either directly or indirectly affected by the war, remain friendly and welcoming should give us all hope that there are genuinely kind people in the world.
Meanwhile, in North Dakota, tensions continue to build as construction of the Dakota Access pipeline crosses into the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Rumors across social networks claim that police monitor the Facebook activity related to the Dakota Access pipeline protests, which consequently led to more than 1 million people checking in to the location of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, in order to support the protest. In a country that seems to be at war, over one million people are standing together to help the reservation preserve its main source of drinking water. Over one million people came to this consensus. Over one million people care about this community. Think about that.
If you're worried that we're moving backwards because of the emphasis on hate and discrimination, just remember that none of that is new. Discrimination stems back from ancient history. Hate exists everywhere. In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as war and everyone would be treated respectfully and equally. The thing is, there will always be a struggle in just about anything, so in times of darkness, we just need to look for the little bursts of light around the world. Good people do exist. Good things do happen.
