This week when I was stumped for an article topic I reached out to my colleagues looking for inspiration. The suggestions that came back were news topics: political unrest, child labor, the terrorist attack in Nice, France. While these are all important topics that should be discussed, I could not bring myself to write an article about any of them. They make me sad. Angry. Confused. Cynical. I could not bring myself to add yet another voice of hurt, anger, confusion, sadness, or cynicism to the dialogue that surrounds so much of the news these days. Adding another voice of negativity is only feeding into the hatred and anger and pain and cynicism. We cannot combat hate and anger and sadness and pain and cynicism with more of the same negative words, emotions, and actions.
In the midst of such negativity you may find yourself wondering as I often do, “Does my happiness matter? Do the prayers I say matter? Can I hold on to hope and light? Is it right of me to do so?” And I believe the answer to all of these questions is a simple, resounding yes. If you cannot find it within yourself to hold on to faith, hope, light, and happiness, the things that make life good, it will be impossible to ever combat the things that make life bad.
This week, I want to implore you to find the light, the positivity, the happiness, in something, anything, every day. It may seem irrelevant, or even silly and useless, but finding happiness reminds you that in spite of all the horrors of the world there is also such great beauty. So watch the sunrise. Savor your morning cup of coffee more than you usually would. Smile at your barista. Listen to your favorite song at full volume and dance around like a fool. Hug your parents or your siblings. Take a walk with your dog. Call your grandparents or your aunt and uncle. Say a kind word to a stranger on the street. Reminisce on good memories. Have an ice cream cone and pay for the next person in line. Pick a bouquet of daises. Light a candle and have a moment of silence for those lost to hate and anger.
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Find your light, and maintain it. Hold on to your faith and hope. Without these things, we have no reason to drive out the anger, the cynicism, and the hatred. There is no fight without something to fight for. So fight for it. Fight for love and light and hope and happiness. Do not let the darkness of the world cause you to contribute to the pain.
